PHOENIX — Deni Avdija scored 41 points, including a go-ahead 3-point play with 16.1 seconds left, and the Portland Trail Blazers clawed back from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Phoenix Suns 114-110 in the NBA’s play-in tournament Tuesday night.
Jordan Goodwin drove for a layup to give the Suns a 110-109 lead with 32 seconds left, but Avdija responded with a physical take to the rim, making a layup while getting fouled and made the free throw for a 112-110 lead.
The Suns had a chance to go back ahead, but Jalen Green’s 3-pointer was off the mark. Goodwin grabbed the offensive rebound but was stripped by Matisse Thybulle to seal the win for the Blazers.
Portland earned the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference playoffs and will face the San Antonio Spurs in the first round.
The Suns will host the winner of the Clippers-Warriors game Friday. Whoever wins that matchup will earn the No. 8 seed and face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs; the loser’s season will be over.
Avdija became the fifth player to score 40 or more points in a play-in game, joining Jayson Tatum for the Boston Celtics in 2021 (50), Coby White for the Chicago Bulls in 2024 (42), Anthony Davis for the Dallas Mavericks in 2025 (40) and Zion Williamson for the New Orleans Pelicans in 2024 (40).
The final few minutes of Tuesday night’s game were intense, with the lead changing several times.
Jerami Grant, who returned after missing the final seven games of the regular season because of a calf injury, made a corner 3-pointer to give the Trail Blazers a 107-106 lead with 1:54 left. Devin Booker responded with a pair of free throws for a 108-107 lead, but Avdija made a finger roll at the rim for a 109-108 lead with 37.3 seconds left.
Green led the Suns with 35 points. Booker had 22.
The Blazers led 83-82 going into the fourth despite shooting just 1-of-11 on 3-pointers in the third quarter. Phoenix pushed to its first lead of the second half when Green made a jumper on the opening possession of the fourth.
It was the start of an 11-0 run that gave the Suns a 93-83 advantage. Royce O’Neale’s steal and 3-pointer put Phoenix ahead 98-87 lead with 7:13 remaining, but that’s when the Blazers started their comeback.
The Suns led 33-31 after one quarter, but the Trail Blazers pushed to a 55-41 advantage by midway through the second. Phoenix bounced back to cut the deficit to 65-62 at the break after Green completed a four-point play — hitting a 3 while being fouled — with one second remaining.
The Associated Press and ESPN Research contributed to this report.
