Avdija's 41 Points Lead Blazers to Play-In Win

In a thrilling Western Conference play-in tournament game, Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija erupted for 41 points to lead his team to a 114-110 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night at the Footprint Center in Phoenix. The win clinched the No. 7 seed for Portland, marking their first playoff appearance since 2021 and setting up a first-round matchup against the No. 2 San Antonio Spurs starting Sunday at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.

Avdija, a 25-year-old Israeli native and first-time NBA All-Star, delivered a standout performance with 12 assists and seven rebounds while shooting 15 of 22 from the field in 38 minutes. Trailing by 11 points entering the fourth quarter, Portland leaned heavily on Avdija, who scored 14 points in the period to fuel the comeback. With 16.1 seconds remaining and the Blazers down by one, Avdija drove to the rim, absorbed contact, finished the layup and converted the free throw for a game-sealing three-point play.

"It's the best thing that's ever happened to me in my career so far," Avdija said afterward, reflecting on his postseason debut. The performance made him the first Israeli player to reach the NBA playoffs, a milestone...