The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 123-103 at the Moda Center on Tuesday night, improving to 7-3 on the season and moving into eighth place in the Western Conference standings. Now, it\u2019s time for The Sports Rabbi to grade Deni Avdija\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n
Avdija\u2019s Statistics:<\/strong> 33:46 minutes, 24 points, 6-of-11 on two-pointers, 2-of-4 from three-point range, 6-of-8 from the free-throw line, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 turnovers and a plus-21 rating (the highest on the floor).<\/p>\n Avdija\u2019s Grade \u2013 9.5<\/strong> Avdija also dished out plenty of assists, while the third quarter turned into a showcase for Damian Lillard, who finished with 25 points and caught fire from three-point range, including an incredible buzzer-beater to close out the period. Avdija was also excellent down the stretch of the third quarter, knocking down a three-pointer of his own just before Lillard’s spectacular shot.<\/p>\n The fourth quarter turned into garbage time, allowing Avdija to get some rest in the closing minutes ahead of a rematch at the same venue the following night (Thursday morning, 5:00 a.m. Israel time).<\/p>\n All in all, it was an outstanding performance from Avdija. He helped Portland take down one of the NBA’s top teams and one of the league’s best players, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder star finished with 26 points and 8 rebounds but struggled with his shooting, going 8-of-22 from the field, including 0-of-4 from three-point range.<\/p>\n Now, Portland faces an equally significant challenge: trying to defeat Oklahoma City for a second consecutive night.<\/p>\n Elsewhere in the NBA, the Sacramento Kings fell 107-100 at home to the Orlando Magic. Emanuel Sharp recorded 2 points (1-of-2 on two-pointers, 0-of-1 from three-point range), 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 4 fouls and a minus-4 plus-minus rating in 19 minutes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 123-103 at the Moda Center on Tuesday night, improving to 7-3 on the season and moving into eighth place in the Western Conference standings. Now, it\u2019s time for The Sports Rabbi to grade Deni Avdija\u2019s performance. Avdija\u2019s Statistics: 33:46 minutes, 24 points, 6-of-11 on two-pointers, 2-of-4 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":196417,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4074],"tags":[37],"class_list":["post-196424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-jews-in-sports","tag-deni-avdija","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nThe first half was a closely contested affair, with the teams heading into the break tied at 59-59. However, the second half belonged to Portland, with Avdija playing a significant role in the dominant performance. Early on, he primarily made his impact by getting to the free-throw line and grabbing rebounds, while struggling to find his touch from the field. As the game progressed, however, he began knocking down shots, including one from beyond the arc.<\/p>\n