Avdija’s monster night

Deni Avdija put Portland into the playoffs on April 14, scoring 41 points in a 114-110 play-in win over Phoenix that locked up the Western Conference’s No. 7 seed. (cbssports.com) Avdija finished with 7 rebounds, 12 assists and 2 blocks in 38 minutes, shooting 15 for 22 from the field and 3 for 8 from 3-point range. (espn.com) The last sequence was his too: after Jordan Goodwin put Phoenix ahead 110-109 with 32 seconds left, Avdija answered with a three-point play with 16.1 seconds remaining, and Matisse Thybulle’s strip on the next Suns possession sealed it. (cbssports.com) Portland had entered the night as the No. 8 play-in team after beating Sacramento 122-110 on April 12, when Avdija posted 25 points and 10 assists. The win in Phoenix moved the Trail Blazers into a first-round series with the No. 2 seed San Antonio Spurs. (nba.com; cbssports.com) The game landed as the clearest snapshot yet of Avdija’s first season in Portland. He was acquired from Washington on July 6, 2024, in a deal that sent Malcolm Brogdon, the rights to the No. 14 pick in the 2024 draft, a 2029 first-round pick and two second-round picks to the Wizards. (nba.com; nba.com) By February 1, 2026, he had made his first All-Star team. He entered the play-in averaging 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game in the regular season, all career highs. (nba.com; espn.com) Portland had not reached the playoffs since 2021, and the franchise had not won a playoff series since 2019. Tuesday’s result ended the postseason drought and pushed a young roster back onto the bracket. (bworldonline.com; cbssports.com) Phoenix still gets one more chance at the field’s final spot, hosting the winner of Clippers-Warriors for the No. 8 seed, while Portland moves on with the player who owned the night’s biggest possession. (cbssports.com)