Trail Blazers clinch playoffs
Portland closed a pressure game with a 114–110 win over Phoenix on April 14 to clinch a playoff berth, a result framed in highlight packages as proof of late‑game execution. (youtube.com) The win shifts Portland from 'watch' to 'active' in the bracket, setting up a first‑round matchup now that the field is settling. (cbssports.com)
Portland is back in the National Basketball Association playoffs after beating Phoenix 114-110 on April 14 in the Western Conference 7-versus-8 play-in game. (apnews.com) The Trail Blazers finished the regular season 42-40, then took the No. 7 seed by winning in Phoenix instead of needing a second play-in game. Phoenix entered the night at 45-37 and dropped into the elimination game for the final Western Conference spot. (nba.com) Deni Avdija scored 41 points and converted a go-ahead three-point play with 16.1 seconds left after Portland erased an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit. The Associated Press reported that Portland closed the game with a 15-0 run. (apnews.com) The result locked in a first-round series against San Antonio, the West’s No. 2 seed at 62-20. Game 1 is listed for April 19 in San Antonio, with Game 2 on April 21 before the series shifts to Portland on April 24. (nba.com) The play-in tournament decides the last two playoff spots in each conference. The No. 7 and No. 8 teams play for the seventh seed, while the loser gets one more chance against the winner of the No. 9 and No. 10 game. (nba.com) For Portland, the win ends a five-year playoff absence and turns a.500-range regular season into a full best-of-seven series. Yahoo Sports described it as the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2021. (sports.yahoo.com) The matchup also puts Portland in front of one of the league’s strongest regular-season teams. San Antonio went 62-20, while Portland entered the bracket with 42 wins and the conference’s seventh seed. (nba.com) Portland’s roster now mixes holdovers Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Jerami Grant with veterans Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday, according to the team page. Chauncey Billups is listed as head coach. (nba.com) What changed on April 14 was simple: Portland survived the pressure game that decides whether a season keeps going. The reward is immediate — a playoff opener on April 19 and a series against San Antonio instead of an early summer. (nba.com)
