On Monday night, Milwaukee Bucks big man Brook Lopez faced two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, one of the most difficult defensive assignments of his career. Lopez did everything he could to hold the six-time All-Star at bay — with a lot of assistance from his Bucks teammates, of course — but Jokic did enough to lead the defending champions to a 103-117 victory at the Ball Arena.

Brook Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks makes an obvious confession following a difficult brawl with the Milwaukee Bucks. Nikola Jokic

Nikola Jokic assisted Porter with a pass that went straight past Brook Lopez’s hands.

Despite the setback, Lopez deserves a lot of credit for his effort against one of the best big men this game has ever seen.

After the game, an understandably exhausted Lopez made a quite clear statement regarding Jokic’s uniqueness. Lopez faced the full fury of the 6-foot-11 star in this one, and he survived to tell the tale.

“He’s so good, there’s different levels of difficulty,” Lopez remarked with a tired laugh, according to Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “But I thought our guys did a good job of reading and deciding when to help for me when to have my back, and just make it a bit more difficult for him.”

Milwaukee Bucks’ Brook Lopez Drops Obvious Confession After Tough Battle Against Nikola Jokic.

By the end of the game, Jokic had 25 points, 16 rebounds, 12 assists, three steals, two blocks, and one three-pointer. However, Lopez and the Bucks limited him to 10-of-25 shooting, demonstrating Milwaukee’s outstanding defense.

But when Lopez and company face Jokic and the Nuggets again on February 12, they’ll be hoping that everything comes together to win.