Avdija leads Portland to NBA Playoffs after five seasons of absence
The Trail Blazzers beat the Suns and will meet the Spurs. The Heat fall in overtime to the Hornets, who await a Play-In opponent.
Deni Avdija, star of the Portland Trail Blazers. File image
They had gone five years without reaching the decisive stage of the world's top basketball league. That changed this season. The Portland Trail Blazers put an end to that losing streak and managed to advance to the 2026 NBA Playoffs after disposing of the Phoenix Suns (110-114) at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Arizona.
After an evenly matched first quarter in which the Suns left with a slight lead, in the second quarter the Trail Blazzers accelerated. In the third quarter, the locals were a little better; but, in the last 12 minutes, the franchise led by Brazilian Thiago Splitter responded and managed to rise to victory.
"We just did a good job of playing our style," Trail Blazers player Jrue Holiday said. "We showed our pride today, we knew this was the position we wanted to be in since midseason."
Holiday put in a good performance in the duel against the Suns, with 21 points. However, the most valuable player of the game was Deni Avidja. The Israeli, star of the Trail Blazers, led the Oregonians to the 2026 NBA Playoffs with an impressive double-double (41 points and 12 assists).
On the home side, Jalen Green stood out with 35 points. Devin Booker closed his tally with 22 points and Dillon Brooks, with 20.
In the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs the San Antonio Spurs, who finished second in the Western Conference standings and the franchise with the second-best regular-season record (62 wins and 20 losses), behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder (64-18).
Heat out of Playoffs seven years later
The Miami Heat said goodbye to the season after falling to the Charlotte Hornets (127-126) at the Spectrum Center in North Carolina. A game that ended in overtime after 48 minutes of razor-tight play.
With a double-double (30 points and 10 assists), LaMelo Ball kept the Hornets in the fight to be in the 2026 NBA Playoffs. Miles Bridges and Brandon Miller chipped in with 28 and 23 points, respectively.
"We never stopped fighting," Ball noted at the end of the showdown against the Heat, author of the basket that gave the North Carolina franchise the victory.
Now, the Hornets will seek a berth in the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the loser of the matchup between the Orlando Magic and the Philadelphia 76ers.
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