Avdija’s 41 powers Blazers

Portland took the Western Conference’s No. 7 seed Tuesday night, beating Phoenix 114-110 behind Deni Avdija’s 41 points in the National Basketball Association play-in tournament. (apnews.com) Avdija added 12 assists and seven rebounds in his postseason debut, and his go-ahead three-point play with 16.1 seconds left put Portland in front for good. (sports.yahoo.com) The Trail Blazers trailed by 11 in the fourth quarter before closing the game on a late rally in Phoenix. Jalen Green scored 35 points for the Suns. (espn.com) The play-in format gives the teams that finish seventh and eighth one extra chance to claim the No. 7 seed before the regular playoff bracket begins. Portland entered that game as the No. 8 team in the West and left with a first-round series against No. 2 San Antonio. (usatoday.com) That result also ended Portland’s playoff drought. The Blazers had not reached the postseason since 2021 before Tuesday’s win at Phoenix’s Mortgage Matchup Center. (espn.com) Phoenix is not out yet, but the Suns lost the direct path into the bracket. They will host Friday’s West No. 8 seed game against the winner of the Los Angeles Clippers-Golden State Warriors matchup, with the winner advancing to face top-seeded Oklahoma City. (espn.com) The first-round schedule is already set for Portland. ESPN’s schedule lists Game 1 of Blazers-Spurs for Sunday, April 19, in San Antonio. (espn.com) For one night, the game turned on Avdija, a first-time All-Star this season, and Portland’s season moved with him. The Blazers are in the playoffs; the Suns have one game left to keep theirs alive. (espn.com)