Neither the ball nor the Nuggets seemed to move with typical intensity in Saturday’s Game 1 loss to Portland.

While offense wasn’t Denver’s primary problem — that was Portland’s 19 for 40 3-point shooting — the Nuggets scored six fewer points than their season average and recorded nearly five fewer assists.

Portland’s plan of playing Nikola Jokic straight up paid dividends. Jokic scored 34 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, but his one assist was the lowest this season.

“I think we can do a better job individually on him and crowd him a little bit more, but yeah, I think when he’s able to get other people involved, they’re a better offensive team overall,” Portland coach Terry Stotts said after Saturday’s win.

Jokic’s lone assist came on a dribble handoff to Facundo Campazzo, who hit one of his two 3-pointers, early in the third quarter. More action off the ball could have created better ball movement, something the Nuggets will look to do in Monday’s Game 2.

“Some guys got to give themselves up and cut, create spacing for Jokic, so he can make passes, because we’re all kind of just standing and watching. It’s not like there were really opportunities for him (to make plays),” Austin Rivers said Sunday. “It would have been one thing if he just wasn’t passing. There wasn’t a lot of opportunities for him to get open people shots. We can move and make it a lot easier for him. I think tomorrow that will be the case.”

Other Jokic assists were spoiled by some uncharacteristically poor shooting. Michael Porter Jr., a 44.5% 3-point shooter on 6.3 attempts per game in the regular season finished 1 for 10 from 3. He made all 11 of his shots inside the arc. Malone said some of Porter’s attempted 3s were rushed, others were shots the Nuggets need him to take.

“Michael’s a shooter,” Malone said. “He’s a scorer, and as long as he’s taking good shots, I’m comfortable with him launching from 3. We’re going to need that.”

Rivers added a 1-for-5 showing from 3 but seemed more concerned with making Portland guards Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, who combined for eight 3s, expend some energy on the defensive end.

“My best attributes are me attacking the basket, attacking in the open court, and I didn’t do any of that yesterday. The one time I did, I got a layup. The other time I got to the free-throw line, so I think we’ve got to understand that they don’t have any rim protection either,” Rivers said. “So we got to attack them the way they attack us, because that’s how they got a lot of 3s was them attacking and spraying out. It’s not even about us scoring. It’s just us getting into the paint and have their defense converge.”

If the Trail Blazers stick with their plan to not double Jokic, the Nuggets seem fine with that, too, as long as they aren’t simply watching.

“If they’re not doubling, we get the ball to the best player in the league — MVP — and just let him go to work. I mean, that’s great offense,” Monte Morris said. “That’s what we want to generate, but if they do help, we just got to move better, cut when you’re supposed to cut, give yourself, be unselfish for the next guy and step up and make shots, which we will.”

No changes to injury report

The Nuggets won’t get any additional help for Monday’s Game 2. Will Barton III and PJ Dozier are still out, according to Sunday’s injury report.