The Denver Nuggets don't really do much that will blow you away. Their best player is a big man who usually looks like he's running in quicksand. However, the Nuggets' strengths on offense perfectly counter the Portland Trail Blazers' weaknesses on defense, and that was on display on Monday night in their 121-113 Game 1 win.

The Nuggets' offense begins with Nikola Jokic. The All-Star big man averaged a career-high 7.3 points per game this season for Denver, with a lot of its offense beginning with him at the free-throw line. The Nuggets' go-to play? A playground classic in the pick-and-roll.

The pick-and-roll is surpassed only by the give-and-go in its simplicity. And the Blazers are no stranger to it either. The problem is that they're without Jusuf Nurkic for the postseason. Although Enes Kanter is arguably an upgrade offensively, he struggles on defense, especially against teams as screen-heavy as the Nuggets.

Jokic currently leads all NBA players this postseason in plays per game as the pick-and-roll man, at 6.3. He also leads the NBA in points per game off the pick-and-roll, at 7.3. All of this to say, he's a perfect counter to the Blazers in comparison to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have two players in the top six in isos per game (Russell Westbrook and Paul George).

The easiest way to exploit Kanter, of course, is high toward the perimeter. Luckily, that's where Jokic excels:

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It doesn't get easier than this for Paul Millsap. The Nuggets get into the halfcourt set that they want, with Jokic at the top of key. Once Jokic gives it to Millsap on the wing, he is able to sag onto the free-throw line. When he does that, Kanter is stuck with him. Playing off of the screen, Millsap has Al-Farouq Aminu behind him, Kanter in front of him and Jokic off the roll. Millsap easily sidesteps Kanter for the layup, and the Nuggets have an easy bucket.

While the pick-and-roll is their game, however, the Nuggets are constantly moving around the ball to create opportunities outside of the two-man game. This play is a perfect example, with Jokic getting the assist with a lot of help from Gary Harris on the reverse:

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You can see the exact moment that CJ McCollum knew he messed up. He jumps out toward the free-throw line with Jokic at the stripe, setting Harris up for a backdoor cut. With McCollum flat-footed, Jokic makes a beautiful feed off the screen, and he finds Harris. Harris has the incredible finish to seal the deal, but it's all set up out of respect for Jokic and the Nuggets' half-court game.

For one last example, even when the Nuggets miss off the pick-and-roll it can free up guys on the back side:

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Zach Collins gets caught helping out on a Malik Beasley drive after a Jokic handoff. Though the shot is well-contested, it misses long, perfectly setting Mason Plumlee up for a follow. Plumlee flushes it home, and it's yet another freebie for the Nuggets due to a lack of backside contain.

Damian Lillard is going to get his this series -- he had 39 points on Monday -- but the Nuggets controlled the pace of play. A half-court game is exactly how they should have approached this series, and it paid dividends early. The Blazers' best players are arguably better than the Nuggets' -- and they're unquestionably flashier -- but the Nuggets know their identity and they didn't deviate in the first game of the series.

There's still hope for the Blazers, but it's a worrisome start. They're a team that's susceptible to perimeter big men, and Jokic is playing at an insane level right now. He finished with 37 points, nine rebounds and six assists. He also has 1.8 turnovers per game, including a Game 7 against the Spurs where he didn't have any.

Portland will have to do something to make life difficult for Jokic just outside of the paint. If the Blazers don't, they could be in for a very long series -- or short! -- against one of the best big facilitators in basketball right now.