Deni Avdija poured in 41 points and converted a decisive three-point play with 16.1 seconds remaining, lifting the Portland Trail Blazers to a 114-110 victory over the Phoenix Suns in Tuesday night’s Western Conference play-in game at Footprint Center.
Portland erased an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to clinch the conference’s No. 7 postseason slot and a first-round matchup with the San Antonio Spurs. Phoenix will host the Los Angeles Clippers–Golden State Warriors winner on Friday for the No. 8 seed; the loser of that game will be eliminated.
Late-game swings
Jordan Goodwin’s drive put the Suns ahead 110-109 with 32 seconds left. Avdija answered on the next possession, muscling to the rim for a layup, drawing contact and sinking the free throw to push Portland in front 112-110.
The Suns had one final opportunity, but Jalen Green’s three-pointer missed. Goodwin gathered the rebound only to have Matisse Thybulle strip the ball, sealing the Blazers’ comeback.
Key contributions
Jerami Grant, back after missing the final seven regular-season games with a calf injury, buried a corner three that gave Portland a 107-106 edge with 1:54 left. Devin Booker countered with two free throws, and Avdija answered with a finger-roll layup at 37.3 seconds for a 109-108 Blazers lead, setting up the frantic finish.
Green scored 35 points to lead Phoenix, while Booker added 22. The Blazers survived a 1-for-11 third quarter from beyond the arc to carry an 83-82 lead into the final period, but Phoenix opened the fourth on an 11-0 burst and later stretched the margin to 98-87 on Royce O’Neale’s steal and three-pointer.
Historic night for Avdija
Avdija became just the fifth player to post 40 or more points in a play-in game, joining Jayson Tatum (50 in 2021), Coby White (42 in 2024), Anthony Davis (40 in 2025) and Zion Williamson (40 in 2024).
They said it
“I told the guys, ‘This is a game of runs. They just had theirs; now we’re going to have ours,’” interim coach Tiago Splitter said. “The resilience of this group—finding ways to score, to defend, to believe—was the difference.”
Avdija added, “Earlier in the season, I don’t think we come back in a game like this. Tonight we showed our character, and I’m proud of our growth.”
Source: ESPN
