Blazers Get Bad Injury News on Deni Avdija

The Portland Trail Blazers may be getting used to life without Deni Avdija in the lineup.

The team announced that Avdija would miss their next game against the Minnesota Timberwolves with a back injury. This comes just one day after Avdija left the contest against the Phoenix Suns less than a minute into the game while holding his back.

INJURY REPORT 2/24 vs. MIN:

OUT
Deni Avdija (Low Back Injury Management)
Damian Lillard (L Achilles Tendon)
Caleb Love (G League Two-Way)
Shaedon Sharpe (L Calf Strain)
Yang Hansen (G League On Assignment)
— Trail Blazers PR (@TrailBlazersPR) February 24, 2026

Deni Avdija Out vs. Wolves

In addition to Avdija, the Blazers will be without Damian Lillard, Caleb Love, Shaedon Sharpe, and Yang Hansen against the Timberwolves.

Blazers head coach Tiago Splitter spoke about Avdija's injury after the win against the Suns.

"Deni, like I said, he was kind of questionable. He felt good before the game. His back—he felt it again. Losing him is not easy. The team has to figure it out offensively, but I think defensively, everybody stepped up and did an amazing job," Splitter said.

Avdija has missed 10 of the team's last 17 games prior to the matchup against the Suns with a back injury. This is a lingering issue that has been problematic for just over a month. The Blazers need Avdija healthy for the stretch run of the season, so having him sit a game seems like a reasonable solution.

It remains to be seen if Avdija will miss more time, but it appears that the Blazers are taking this one day at a time. Back injuries can be tricky because it can flare up at any moment. That appears to be what happened with Avdija against the Suns.

Not having Avdija against the Timberwolves will make things a lot harder for the Blazers, especially considering the fact that Minnesota wiped the floor with them just before the All-Star break. Since that game, the Blazers beat the Utah Jazz right before the All-Star break and got beaten by 54 points against the Denver Nuggets. The Blazers responded with a win against the Suns but only scored 92 points against a team that played in double overtime the day before with several injured players.

The Blazers will be looking for a convincing win, but it will be a lot harder with Avdija on the sidelines. Look for Scoot Henderson to be the player stepping up the most in his absence.

Tip-off between the Blazers and Wolves scheduled for 7 p.m. PT inside the Moda Center in Portland. Fans can watch the game on Rip City Sports Network or stream it on NBA League Pass.