Avdija’s 41 pushes Blazers

Deni Avdija scored 41 points Tuesday night and sent Portland past Phoenix 114-110, putting the Trail Blazers into the Western Conference playoffs. (nba.com) Avdija added 12 assists, seven rebounds and two blocks in 38 minutes, and he shot 15 for 22 from the field in his first National Basketball Association postseason game. (nba.com) (apnews.com) The go-ahead sequence came with 16.1 seconds left, when Avdija converted a three-point play after Portland erased an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit in Phoenix. (apnews.com) (nba.com) The win gave Portland the No. 7 seed in the West and set a first-round series against the No. 2 seed San Antonio Spurs, with the National Basketball Association playoffs opening April 18. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Portland reached the postseason after finishing 42-40 and entering the SoFi National Basketball Association Play-In Tournament as the West’s No. 8 team. Phoenix finished 45-37 and lost its first chance to lock up a playoff spot. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) For Portland, the berth ends a five-year wait. The club said before Tuesday’s game that this was its first postseason appearance since 2021. (nba.com) Avdija arrived in Portland after Washington traded him in July 2024, and he turned this season into his first All-Star campaign before delivering the biggest game of his career on opening night of the play-in. (opb.org) (nba.com) The Suns still have one more path left. Under the play-in format, Phoenix will face the winner of the No. 9 versus No. 10 game for the West’s final playoff spot, while Portland moves on without another elimination game. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Portland now opens its first-round series in San Antonio, and the clip that defined Tuesday was Avdija taking over late with the season on the line. (nba.com) (sports.yahoo.com)