Avdija’s 41 clinches seed

Deni Avdija dragged Portland out of the play-in and into the Western Conference bracket with 41 points in a 114-110 win over Phoenix on Tuesday night. (nba.com) Avdija’s line went beyond scoring: 12 assists, seven rebounds and three made 3-pointers, plus a go-ahead three-point play with 16.1 seconds left after Portland erased an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit. (usnews.com) The win moved the Trail Blazers into the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference after a 42-40 regular season and sent the Suns, who finished 45-37, into the elimination game for the final playoff spot. (nba.com) (basketball-reference.com) (statmuse.com) Portland now opens the first round against the No. 2 seed San Antonio Spurs, with Game 1 scheduled for Sunday, April 19. The National Basketball Association’s first round begins April 18 after the play-in runs April 14-17. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) For Portland, the result ended a four-year playoff drought. The franchise had not played a postseason game since 2021 before Avdija’s breakout night in Phoenix. (nba.com) (oregonlive.com) The matchup also capped a sharp rise for Avdija, who was named a first-time All-Star this season and delivered the biggest game of his National Basketball Association career in his postseason debut. (portlandtribune.com) (newsday.com) The play-in format gives the No. 7 and No. 8 finishers one game for the No. 7 seed, while the loser gets a second chance against the winner of the No. 9 versus No. 10 game. Portland used that first chance immediately; Phoenix did not. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Avdija told reporters after the game that San Antonio is “young, too,” as Portland turns from a one-night escape to a best-of-seven series. Tuesday’s comeback made sure that next step is a playoff series, not another play-in test. (nba.com)