Avdija’s 41-point surge

Deni Avdija sent Portland into the playoffs on Tuesday night, scoring 41 points in a 114-110 play-in win over Phoenix. (nba.com) Avdija’s biggest play came with 16.1 seconds left, when he finished a go-ahead three-point play for a 112-110 lead after Jordan Goodwin had put Phoenix ahead eight seconds earlier. Avdija also finished with 12 assists as Portland erased an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit in Phoenix. (nbcsports.com) The win gave the Trail Blazers the Western Conference’s No. 7 seed and set up a first-round series against the No. 2 San Antonio Spurs. Phoenix, which entered the game as the No. 7 team after a 45-37 regular season, dropped into a Friday elimination game against the winner of Los Angeles Clippers-Golden State Warriors. (nba.com) (basketball-reference.com) Portland finished the regular season 42-40 and had already secured its first postseason appearance since 2021 by reaching the play-in. Tuesday’s road win turned that opening into a full playoff berth. (nba.com) (basketball-reference.com) Avdija’s night fit the season he has had in Portland. The Trail Blazers announced on February 1 that he had made his first All-Star team after averaging 25.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.7 assists through his first 44 games. (nba.com) That All-Star selection was also a first for Avdija, who became the first Israeli player chosen for the National Basketball Association All-Star Game, according to ESPN. His play-in performance came in his first postseason game with Portland. (espn.com) (newsday.com) The closing stretch was tight even before Avdija’s winner. Jerami Grant, back after missing Portland’s final seven regular-season games with a calf injury, hit a corner three with 1:54 left, and Phoenix still got 35 points from Jalen Green and 22 from Devin Booker in the loss. (nbcsports.com) Portland had not won a playoff series since 2019, and it had not reached the postseason at all since 2021. On Tuesday, Avdija turned a play-in trip to Phoenix into the game that ended both waits. (nba.com)