The Scariest Part of Blazers' Deni Avdija’s 41-Point Masterpiece

Despite a career-high 41 points to clinch a playoff berth, the Portland Trail Blazers believe Deni Avdija is only scratching the surface of his potential.

Apr 14, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (8) fouls Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks (3) in the second half during the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Portland Trail Blazers are heading to the postseason after a 114-110 victory over the Phoenix Suns in the Play-In Tournament thanks to a scary performance from Deni Avdija.

41 points (on 15-of-22 shooting). Seven rebounds, 12 assists, three 3-pointers, a +13 plus-minus, and the game-winning, playoff berth-clinching shot. Those were for the numbers for Avdija, in his first-ever “postseason game,” no less.

Put that box score in front of anyone who understands basketball, and they’ll tell you that those numbers are nothing short of scintillating. Which makes the postgame press conferences from both acting head coach Tiago Splitter and veteran talent Jrue Holiday all the more fascinating. In between sharing their admiration for Avdija’s game, an underlying message could be grasped:

This arguably wasn’t even Avdija at peak form.

To state the obvious, basketball’s unpredictability — and the fact elite players are playing against other elite players — will make it difficult for even stars to produce “perfect games” in high-stakes situations. But their message is easy to understand: knowing the greatness that Avdija is capable of, even this miraculous performance had aspects worth building upon.

“I don’t even think he had a great game, but he just kept going, kept believing in himself, and scored a couple buckets in the end that were important. A little bit of what he did the whole season. But of course, played 38 minutes, had the ball a lot, and decided the game for us," Blazers acting head coach Tiago Splitter said postgame.

Deni Avdija Builds Legacy in Blazers Win

Blazers point guard Jrue Holiday echoed similar sentiments, praising Avdija for a performance that pushed the team to the first round of the playoffs.

“He’s unique. Nobody does what he does. To be able to [expletive] near have a triple-double on kind of an off-night for him," Holiday said postgame.

"Yeah, things were going his way sometimes, but usually when Deni’s rolling, you can really tell and it goes for 48 minutes. So, Deni coming out here and carrying us especially down the stretch, getting that winning bucket, and being able to go home knowing that we’re playing San Antonio is something that you love to see in Deni because this is what we expect from him now.”

Thinking about the game itself, it’s clear what they mean. Both franchises’ stars had a rare case of the yips at the charity stripe, with both Avdija and Devin Booker finishing 8-of-13 at the charity stripe, with misses arriving at somewhat-critical points in the game.

In essence, while one probably doesn’t expect Avdija to hit at a 38 percent rate from 3-point range on a night-to-night basis, the odds of him shooting just 62 percent from the free throw line are just as doubtful.

And, as Portland prepares to face a San Antonio Spurs team that ranks towards the NBA’s basement in forcing turnovers — though, they're elite everywhere else — it's also unlikely that Avdija consistently puts five turnovers on the end-of-game box score.

In the meantime, though, the Blazers’ first-time All-Star can celebrate a well-deserved moment in the spotlight, and one that he called the “best thing that’s ever happened” in his career so far.

Future box scores against the Spurs might not feature 41-point games on 68 percent shooting, but with a few tweaks, Avdija could be well-positioned to put together miraculous performances that prompt that same level of acclaim.