Avdija’s 41 seals 7‑seed

Deni Avdija put Portland in the playoffs Tuesday night, scoring 41 points in a 114-110 win over Phoenix that locked up the Western Conference’s No. 7 seed. (nba.com) Avdija hit the go-ahead three-point play with 16.1 seconds left after Portland erased an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit in the SoFi National Basketball Association Play-In Tournament game in Phoenix. (nba.com) He finished with 41 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds on 15-of-22 shooting in his first National Basketball Association postseason game. Jrue Holiday added 21 points, and Jerami Grant scored 16 after returning from a calf injury. (espn.com) The win sends Portland into a first-round series against the No. 2 seed San Antonio Spurs. Phoenix dropped into the last-chance game for the No. 8 seed and a matchup with the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. (nba.com) Portland had finished the regular season 42-40 and entered the West play-in as the No. 8 team, while Phoenix was 44-38 and held the No. 7 spot before Tuesday’s result flipped the bracket. (espn.com) For the Trail Blazers, the result ends a playoff drought that had lasted since 2021. The franchise had not won a playoff series since 2019, when it reached the Western Conference finals. (bworldonline.com) For Avdija, 25, the game capped a season that already included his first All-Star selection. Portland’s team site said in February that he was playing in his first All-Star Game. (nba.com) ESPN said Avdija became the fifth player to score at least 40 points in a play-in game. His late drive and free throw turned a one-point deficit into a two-point lead that Portland did not give back. (espn.com) The opening is set now: Portland goes from chasing a spot to opening a series in San Antonio, and Avdija goes in after the biggest postseason game of his career so far. (espn.com)