If you missed Game 1 between the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, then you failed to witness what was without a doubt one of the most epic individual battles between two all-time great big men in Nikola Jokic and Anthony Davis. Both stars stepped it up for their respective teams as neither of them refused to give in even an inch. In the end, though, it was Jokic and Co. who escaped with a thrilling 132-126 victory to draw first blood in the Western Conference Finals.

For his part, Jokic, who produced a mind-blowing 34-point, 21-rebound, 14-assist triple-double, had nothing but high praise for Davis after their all-out war. The Nuggets superstar gave his Lakers counterpart his flowers as Jokic talked up AD as one of the top big men in the league:

“He's really, really talented,” Jokic said of Davis. “Probably the most skilled guy if you think about the size and what he can do with the ball. … Probably one of the most talented players in the league.”

Jokic is a pretty skilled guy himself, so for him to dish out this type of praise for Anthony Davis also goes to show just how humble the Nuggets star is. He is without a doubt one of the best centers in the NBA today, and Jokic did not hesitate to include AD in that same category.

Anthony Davis actually outscored Jokic in Game 1 by dropping a game-high 40 points on 14-of-23 shooting. Nevertheless, it was Jokic who won the individual battle. The good news for NBA fans is that we will see these two superstars battle it out on the court again at least three more times. Based on what we saw in Game 1, though, this is likely going to be a very long series.