Deni Avdija drops 41 points in NBA postseason debut, leading the Blazers to the playoffs
PHOENIX (AP) — Deni Avdija showed he has a bit of the clutch gene in his initial foray into postseason basketball.
The first All-Star followed up a standout regular season with a fantastic all-around performance in Tuesday’s NBA play-in tournament, scoring 41 points to lead the Portland Trail Blazers over the Phoenix Suns for a 114-110 victory to clinch the No. 1 seed. 7 in the Western Conference playoffs.
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The Blazers return to the playoffs for the first time since 2021 after overcoming an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter. They will face the No. 2 seed San Antonio Spurs in the first round.
“It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my career so far,” Avdija said.
The 25-year-old Avdija had never played in the NBA postseason until Tuesday — toiling for more than five years on mediocre teams in Washington and Portland — but looked comfortable on the biggest stage. He made the game-winning three-point play with 16.1 seconds left, scoring with a physical grab at the rim while being fouled and then converting the free throw.
Blazers guard Jrue Holiday, a two-time NBA champion with Milwaukee and Boston, was impressed by Avdija’s composure. He shot 15 of 22 from the field while adding 12 assists and seven rebounds.
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Holiday said the best part of Avdija’s performance was “kind of an off night.”
“I feel like it’s unique. Nobody does what he does,” Holiday said. “Deni coming here, taking us with him, especially down the stretch, getting that game-winning bucket and being able to go home knowing we’re playing in San Antonio is something you love to see in Deni because that’s what we expect from him now.”
Avdija and the rest of the young Blazers remained calm during a physical game featuring many hard fouls. Holiday finished with 21 points and Jerami Grant returned from a calf injury to score 16.
“I think back to the beginning of the season, we weren’t very disciplined in staying together and finishing games,” Avdija said. “I feel like we showed character today. We showed growth, we showed character, we showed we were able to stay calm and make winning plays.”
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Blazers coach Tiago Splitter agrees that Avdija didn’t have his best night despite the big numbers. He said the 6-foot-8 forward’s next test will be facing a Spurs team that will give him different looks on defense in a playoff series.
If Tuesday night is any indication, he’ll be fine.
“He kept going, kept believing in himself,” Splitter said. “At the end he scored a couple of baskets. A bit like what he did throughout the season, he played 38 minutes, had a lot of the ball and decided the game.”
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