Blazers Stay Hot, Beat Heat - and Breathe a Sigh of Relief on Deni Avdija
For a moment, Rip City held its breath.
Deni Avdija, in the midst of a breakout season and a driving force behind Portland’s recent surge, headed to the bench early in the third quarter. He’d just tweaked his lower back - again - and the memory of his recent three-game absence was still fresh. But after the game, Avdija delivered the words Blazers fans desperately needed to hear:
“I’m not freaking out about it. It’s fine.”
And just like that, Moda Center exhaled.
The Blazers had just wrapped up a convincing 127-110 win over the Miami Heat - their fourth straight victory, and their 11th in the last 14 games. That stretch has catapulted them to an NBA-best 9-2 record in January. But as impressive as the on-court performance was, the biggest win of the night might’ve been Avdija walking out of the locker room under his own power, insisting he’s okay.
Avdija’s Scare, Splitter’s Call
Avdija’s night was cut short after playing just 1:57 in the second half. He’d already poured in 20 points, grabbed seven boards, and dished out four assists in just 18 minutes before tweaking his back while closing out on defense.
“I did a sharp turn with my back,” Avdija said. “It kind of locked up again.”
He lobbied to return, but acting head coach Tiago Splitter wasn’t having it.
“He felt it a little bit, it was a little stiff,” Splitter said. “And it was my decision to take him out and kind of like save him from himself. He’s fine.”
That’s the kind of cautious approach you take when your best player is playing the best basketball of his career. Avdija said he’ll leave his status for Friday’s game against Toronto in the hands of the medical staff, but both he and Splitter sounded optimistic.
“I wanted to stay in because I was warm enough and, like, I’m a competitor,” Avdija said. “But (Splitter) does a great job of protecting me.
We still have a lot of season left. We don’t want to do stuff that’s going to affect me later.”
Sharpe Takes Over
With Avdija sidelined, Shaedon Sharpe stepped into the spotlight - and lit it up.
After a rough first half that saw him shoot just 1-of-8 with four turnovers, Sharpe caught fire in the second. He erupted for 24 points after halftime, finishing with 27 points, seven rebounds, four steals, and three assists. He hit 10 of 13 shots in the second half, including 4-of-5 from deep, putting on a clinic of pull-up jumpers, step-backs, and high-flying alley-oops.
“Hell of a second half,” said Splitter. “He was hot … we just tried to give him touches and he did the rest.”
That second-half explosion helped the Blazers pull away from a Miami team that never found its rhythm from deep. Portland hit 20 of its 50 three-point attempts - their second-most made threes in a game this season - while Miami went just 9-of-45 from beyond the arc. That 20% clip marked only the third time in the last 18 games that the Heat failed to reach double-digit threes.
Total Team Effort
This wasn’t a one-man show. It was a full-team effort.
Toumani Camara turned in one of his most complete games of the year with 16 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Caleb Love continued to shine off the bench with 20 points and four assists. Jrue Holiday added 15 points and seven dimes of his own.
And then there was Robert Williams III, who earned his first chance to put his name in “The Box” - the Blazers’ internal recognition system - after pulling down 10 rebounds and swatting three shots. It’s been a stretch where young guys like Sidy Cissoko, Camara, and Rayan Rupert have been making their mark, and Williams was more than happy to join the club.
“It was looking like a foreigner’s box, man,” Williams joked. “I’m glad I got in there.”
Defense Turns the Tide
The Blazers’ defense followed the same arc as Sharpe’s shooting - shaky early, then locked in late. After giving up 63 first-half points, Portland held Miami to just 48 in the second half, including only 18 in the fourth quarter.
They clamped down on the perimeter in particular, holding the Heat to just 4-of-20 shooting from three after halftime. Against a team that thrives in transition and plays at one of the league’s fastest paces, that’s no small feat.
Health Still the X-Factor
Thursday marked just the eighth time all season that Avdija, Holiday, Williams, and Jerami Grant have shared the floor. When this group is healthy, the Blazers look like a team that can make serious noise. But that “when” is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
The good news? Avdija’s back issue doesn’t appear to be a major setback.
“I was just hoping that it wasn’t another scare or anything like that,” Love said. “But he’s tough and I’m sure he’ll be all right.”
The Blazers are rolling. They’re healthy - mostly.
And they’re playing some of their best basketball of the season. If they can keep their core on the floor, there’s no telling how far this team can go.
For now, Portland fans can breathe easy. Avdija’s words say it all:
“It’s fine.”