“I feel like I’m just so happy for the guys. We worked so hard. We had our ups and downs and it wasn’t an easy year for us. But coming here to a play-in game, beating the seventh seed and making the playoffs, it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my career so far.” – Deni Avdija

The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Phoenix Suns 114–110 on the road on Tuesday night in a dramatic game at the Footprint Center in the NBA Western Conference play-in matchup between the 7th and 8th seeds. With the win, Portland advanced to the playoffs as the 7th seed, where they will face the San Antonio Spurs in a first round best-of-seven series. As Deni Avdija becomes the first Israeli to play in the NBA playoffs, Moshe Halickman from The Sports Rabbi broke down the Sabras performance, perhaps the best of his career to date.

Avdija’s stats: 38:10 minutes, 41 points, 12/14 from two-point range, 3/8 from three, 8/13 from the free-throw line, 7 rebounds, 12 assists, 5 turnovers, 2 blocks, 4 fouls and a +13 plus-minus rating.

Avdija’s grade: 10

Portland started off poorly and so did Avdija, missing from beyond the arc and focusing mainly on distributing assists. However, later in the first quarter he began attacking the basket effectively, including a buzzer-beating basket to end the quarter, which finished 33–31 in Phoenix’s favor.

In the second quarter, Avdija caught fire. He hit a 3-pointer, completed an and-one play that forced a timeout (though he missed the free throw) and dished out an alley-oop to Shaedon Sharpe. He kept attacking the rim relentlessly and finished the first half with 16 points, including another triple, helping Portland build a 12-point lead. Still, Portland went into halftime with only a 65–62 advantage after Jalen Green completed a four-point play over Toumani Camara.

Avdija continued his strong performance at the start of the second half, quickly reaching 19 points with accurate free throws. He kept driving effectively, despite leaving some points at the line and reached 27 points by the end of the third quarter, which Portland ended with a slim 83–82 lead.

In the fourth quarter, it seemed like Portland was collapsing. Phoenix regained the lead, Avdija committed a costly turnover and he was subbed out early in the quarter with his team trailing by five. He returned when the deficit grew to seven and soon after to ten. Avdija stopped the momentum with an and-one play, during which Dillon Brooks received a technical foul, though Avdija again missed the free throw. After a number of points from the charity stripe, the deficit climbed back to eleven but refusing to give up, Avdija continued facilitating and most importantly, hit a crucial 3-pointer to cut the deficit to just three.

The gap grew to eight, but Avdija converted from the line and then dished out an assist on a 3-pointer by Jerami Grant to give Portland the lead. In the final minute, Avdija grabbed a rebound and scored at the other end to reach 38 points and give Portland a 109–108 lead with 37.3 seconds remaining. Phoenix briefly retook the lead, but Avdija responded again, driving to the basket and completing another and-one against Brooks with 16.1 seconds left to make it 112–110 for Portland who held on and sealed the win.

Bottom line: What more can be said? This was undoubtedly the best game of Avdija’s career, matching his second-highest scoring output ever and doing it on such a big stage. He excelled with exceptional efficiency inside thanks to his driving ability, hit from beyond the arc, distributed the ball brilliantly, grabbed rebounds and contributed defensively with blocks. Although he struggled at times from the free-throw line, he delivered when it mattered most. His strong plus-minus reflected his overall impact. He didn’t always get favorable calls from the referees and showed visible frustration, yet maintained composure, demonstrating his strength as a star player.

Avdija is playing at an All-Star level and at this rate, is becoming a superstar. You couldn’t ask for more. Game 1 of the series against San Antonio and Victor Wembanyama will take place Sunday night (4:00 AM Israel time) and we absolutely cannot wait.

Amos Frishman, the chairman of the Israel Basketball Association, said, “Deni Avdija once again moved an entire nation this morning by advancing to the NBA playoffs. This is another impressive milestone in his outstanding career, as he continues to break barriers. To rise to the occasion in such a high-pressure game shows exactly what he’s made of. Especially in these complex times, Deni is a proud ambassador of the State of Israel and represents us in an inspiring way. The entire country and Israeli sports are united behind him.”