Avdija's 41 lifts Blazers

Portland is back in the National Basketball Association playoffs after Deni Avdija scored 41 points in a 114-110 play-in win over Phoenix on Tuesday, April 14. (nba.com) (apnews.com) Avdija put Portland ahead with a three-point play with 16.1 seconds left, then Jerami Grant sealed the game with a late dunk after the Trail Blazers erased an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit. (espn.com) (newsday.com) Avdija finished 15 for 22 from the field in his postseason debut, and Portland claimed the Western Conference’s No. 7 seed. Phoenix got 35 points from Jalen Green and 22 from Devin Booker in the loss. (sports.yahoo.com) (landofbasketball.com) The play-in tournament decides the last playoff spots for teams that finish seventh through 10th in each conference. By winning the 7-versus-8 game, Portland moved straight into the first round instead of playing again for the final berth. (nba.com) (espn.com) That result also ended Portland’s five-year playoff absence. The Trail Blazers had not reached the postseason since 2021, and they finished the regular season 42-40 before surviving the extra game in Phoenix. (apnews.com) (espn.in) Avdija’s outburst came after his first All-Star season, giving Portland a centerpiece performance in its highest-stakes game of the year. Associated Press described him as a first-time All-Star playing in his first postseason game. (apnews.com) (opb.org) Phoenix, meanwhile, dropped into the do-or-die path of the play-in after finishing 45-37. The Suns lost despite shooting 49.4% from the field and getting 20 points from Dillon Brooks and 12 from Jordan Goodwin. (espn.in) (landofbasketball.com) Portland’s reward is a first-round series against the No. 2 seed San Antonio Spurs. The Trail Blazers needed one huge night from Avdija to get there, and on April 14 they got exactly that. (sports.yahoo.com) (espn.com)