Deni Avdija's monster effort lifts Trail Blazers to play-in win, seven seed

Even after he made his first All-Star appearance this season, many NBA fans aren't familiar with Deni Avdija. After he carried the Portland Trail Blazers to a play-in win, that should no longer be the case.

Avdija led the Blazers with 41 points and 12 assists, scoring five points in the final 38 seconds, including a game-sealing three-point play after being fouled by Dillon Brooks. Portland came away with a 114-110 win over the Phoenix Suns and a matchup with the San Antonio Spurs in Round 1.

Deni Avdija rose to the occasion in his first postseason game

Tuesday night was the first postseason game of Avdija's six-year NBA career, the first four years spent in obscurity on a miserable Washington Wizards team that never finished higher than 12th place. Last season, after a trade to the Blazers, Avdija took a big step as a scorer and playmaker, and this year, he took a leap, averaging 24.2 points and 6.7 assists.

He did it by relentlessly attacking the basket. That's how Avdija led the NBA with 19.4 drives per game, averaging 9.2 free throws — he went 8-of-13 from the foul line Tuesday. That's also how he brought the Blazers back from a late eight-point deficit.

Avdija drove and got fouled, then drove and found Jerami Grant in the corner for a three-pointer. Both times Phoenix took a one-point lead in the final minute, Avdija responded by driving and scoring at the cup.