Avdija’s 41 clinches Blazers

Deni Avdija put Portland into the playoffs Tuesday night, scoring 41 points in a 114-110 play-in win over Phoenix for the Western Conference’s No. 7 seed. (nba.com) The Trail Blazers won on April 14 in Phoenix after trailing by 11 points in the fourth quarter, and Avdija’s go-ahead three-point play came with 16.1 seconds left. (apnews.com) Avdija finished with 41 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists in his first National Basketball Association postseason game, while Phoenix got 35 points from Jalen Green. (espn.com) (nba.com) The result ended Portland’s four-year playoff drought and moved the Trail Blazers straight into the first round instead of a second play-in game. Phoenix dropped into the elimination game for the West’s No. 8 seed. (opb.org) (nba.com) Portland’s next opponent is San Antonio, the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed, in a first-round series that begins when the National Basketball Association playoffs open on April 18. (sports.yahoo.com) (nba.com) Avdija arrived in Portland after Washington traded him in June 2024, and this season he made his first All-Star team before delivering the biggest game of the Trail Blazers’ year. (opb.org) (bleacherreport.com) The play-in format gives the teams that finish seventh and eighth one game for the No. 7 seed, and Portland used that single chance to avoid a win-or-go-home matchup later this week. (nba.com) By the final horn, the Trail Blazers had turned one road comeback into a playoff berth, with Avdija’s 41 standing as the number that changed Portland’s season. (cbssports.com)