Blazers claw back to beat Suns, book 1st-round date with Spurs

The Portland Trail Blazers' four-year playoff drought is over.

Deni Avdija led all scorers with 41 points and the Trail Blazers rallied in the fourth quarter to topple the Phoenix Suns in the play-in tournament Tuesday, 114-110.

Portland will now advance to the first round, where a series against Victor Wembanyama and the second-seeded San Antonio Spurs awaits. It's the first time the franchise will compete in the playoffs since losing in five games to the Denver Nuggets in the first round in 2021.

Meanwhile, Phoenix will get a second chance to make the playoffs on Friday when it faces the winner of Wednesday's play-in matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers.

First-time All-Star Avdija also contributed 12 assists, seven rebounds, and two blocks, while veteran guard Jrue Holiday added 21 points.

"I feel like I was just being aggressive the whole night going downhill," Avdija told reporters.

Suns guard Jalen Green led Phoenix with 35 points but missed a three in the closing seconds that would have retaken the lead for Jordan Ott's squad. Instead, the ball bounced high off the back of the rim and eventually ended up in the hands of Blazers forward Jerami Grant, whose subsequent dunk shut the door on the Suns' hopes.

Devin Booker had 22 points on 7-of-17 shooting in a losing cause, while Dillon Brooks contributed 20 points and seven boards before fouling out late in the final frame on an Avdija drive.

With the Blazers making the playoffs, their 2026 first-round draft selection will now convey to the Chicago Bulls to fulfill the lottery-protected pick obligation from the Lauri Markkanen-Larry Nance Jr. trade in 2021.

Portland went 1-2 against the Spurs this season, with the lone victory coming on Jan. 3 when Wembanyama missed out due to injury.