Deni Avdija did it again.

This time however, the Israeli sensation showed exactly what he can do on National Television across the United States which was witnessed by the likes of Grant Hill, Shaquille O’Neil, who compared him to Toni Kukoc and many others. The 24-year-old Portland Trailblazers forward broke his NBA season high for the second consecutive game, scoring 30 points enroute to a 125-112 victory at home over the Milwaukee Bucks. The win ,moved the club’s record to 18-29, good for 13th place in the Western Conference standings.

Avdija’s started the game off a bit ho-hum, unlike earlier in the week where he scored at will over the opening few minutes and went on to score 28 points in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but still managed to score 5 points in the first quarter which the Bucks controlled. He started taking command of the game as it moved into the second period to help the Blazers grab a 64-61 lead as Avdija scored 9 points and grabbed 5 rebounds over the opening 24 minutes of action.

But the real show began in the third quarter where the Sabra hit one triple after the next including a 3-pointer where he first passed the ball behind his back, got it back and drilled it home from downtown. Avdija bumped up his game total to well over 20 points as the game headed into the final frame where his head coach Chauncey Billups said on TV that he just loves his scoring right now. In fact, who wouldn’t love it unless you’re not a fan of the Trailblazers?!?

It was clear heading into the fourth that Avdija was ready and primed to break his season high that he had just set a few days earlier and he did just that with 30, his third-highest single game point total in the NBA while 21 points in the second half set a season-high for points in a single half.

Avdija’s final line read as follows after the win, 38 minutes, 7/11 from two, 3/7 from three, 7/9 from the free throw line, 9 rebounds (3 offensive), 2 assists, 5 turnovers, 2 steals, 4 fouls and a plus-minus of +7. In fact, if he had finished with 32 points he would also have set the highest number of points by an Israeli player in the NBA in a victory (Omri Casspi had scored 31 in a win last decade), but who are we to complain!

We saw so many special elements from Avdija, from scoring off of an offensive rebound, dished out an impressive hockey assist and was just superb in general on the glass.
Personally, I can’t help but remember the game I covered this past April in Washington which was a win over Milwaukee last season where Avdija scored 23 points against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.

The main thing I’ll take away from this game is that Avdija is really starting to look like a player who might one day be an All-Star. Yes, you rea it right, an All-Star.

Recently, he’s simply taken command of Portland and for the umpteenth time, this can’t be taken for granted. If the conditions allow it, it’s very possible that we’ll see Avdija truly be considered a player who belongs at the top in the NBA. In the meantime, let’s continue to enjoy the journey and dream, because what he is doing is letting everyone’s imagination run wild!

The Quotes

“I still have a lot of things to get better at and show. I’m not rushing to be that complete player. I’m trying to build it block by block, take my time and work my way to that level.” – Avdija on if he can grow his game beyond where he’s at now

— Danny Marang (@DannyMarang) January 29, 2025

“I feel so much different in how we play, how we share the ball, just everything.” – Avdija on how things have changed since he first arrived

— Danny Marang (@DannyMarang) January 29, 2025