Avdija’s 41-point outburst

Deni Avdija put Portland into the playoffs on Tuesday night, scoring 41 points in a 114-110 play-in win over Phoenix. (nba.com) Avdija added 12 assists and 7 rebounds, shot 15-for-22 from the field, and made the go-ahead three-point play with 16.1 seconds left in Phoenix. (nba.com) The win gave Portland the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference and set a first-round series against the No. 2 seed San Antonio Spurs. Phoenix dropped into the final play-in game for the No. 8 seed. (nba.com; sports.yahoo.com) Portland had not reached the playoffs since 2021, and it entered the night after a 42-40 regular season. Phoenix finished 45-37 and hosted the game as the higher seed. (sports.yahoo.com; basketball-reference.com) Avdija’s line landed at the center of the result because Portland blew an earlier lead, fell behind by 11 in the fourth quarter, and then closed on a late surge with him creating the key baskets. (nba.com; sports.yahoo.com) The game also extended a breakout season for the 25-year-old forward. Basketball-Reference lists him at 24.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game in 2025-26, all career highs, and marks him as a first-time All-Star. (basketball-reference.com) Yahoo Sports noted that Avdija became the fifth player to score at least 40 points in the play-in tournament, joining Jayson Tatum, Coby White, Zion Williamson and Anthony Davis. (sports.yahoo.com) Other Portland scorers stayed in supporting roles: Jerami Grant had 16 points and Shaedon Sharpe scored 12 off the bench, while Phoenix got 35 points from Jalen Green and 22 from Devin Booker. (sports.yahoo.com; espn.com) By the final possession, the thread of the night was simple: Portland needed one star turn to end its playoff drought, and Avdija supplied it possession after possession. (nba.com; apnews.com)