The Portland Trail Blazers nearly authored one of the most painful collapses in recent NBA memory - twice - before a late whistle gave them a lifeline, and Deni Avdija made sure they didn’t waste it.
In a wild 134-133 overtime win over the Sacramento Kings, Portland somehow managed to blow a 15-point lead with under two minutes left in regulation and a six-point cushion with just 33 seconds remaining in overtime. But with 1.5 seconds left on the clock, Avdija drew a foul on Russell Westbrook that stopped the Kings’ celebration before it could begin. Amid the chaos and confusion - some Sacramento players had already started celebrating what they thought was a comeback win - Avdija calmly stepped to the line and knocked down both free throws to seal the win.
“I don’t know,” Avdija said afterward. “I’m out of words right now.” And honestly, who could blame him?
Let’s rewind. This game had all the makings of a routine Trail Blazers win.
Portland broke open a close contest early in the fourth quarter and looked ready to coast to the finish line. Jerami Grant’s three-pointer with just over five minutes left gave the Blazers an 18-point lead.
Even after Sacramento made a small push, Portland still led by 15 with under two minutes to go. That’s usually game over.
Not this time.
Instead, the Blazers unraveled. A shot-clock violation, a pair of missed free throws, and an untimely turnover by Avdija with 20 seconds left cracked the door open. Sacramento didn’t just walk through it - they kicked it off the hinges.
DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook flipped the switch, leading a furious 17-2 run to close regulation. DeRozan, in particular, was in vintage form.
After a missed Blazers free throw that should’ve iced it, rookie big man Maxime Raynaud mishandled an easy rebound. That mistake gave the Kings another life, and DeRozan made it count.
With the clock winding down, he scooped up a loose ball on a broken inbounds play, got Kris Murray to bite on a pump fake, and drilled a corner three to tie it. The Moda Center crowd could only groan.
Overtime offered the Blazers a shot at redemption - and for a moment, it looked like they’d take it. Portland built a six-point lead with 33 seconds left, highlighted by a Grant dunk that sent Raynaud to the wrong end of a poster. But again, Sacramento refused to go away.
DeRozan hit a three to cut the lead in half. Then Keegan Murray came up with a huge steal on the inbounds pass, leading to two quick free throws.
Suddenly, it was a one-point game. Portland got the ball to Donovan Clingan, who was fouled - but he missed both free throws.
That opened the door for DeRozan again, and he delivered with a smooth jumper to give the Kings a one-point lead with 4.4 seconds left.
At that point, it looked like Sacramento had completed one of the most improbable comebacks of the season. But the game had one final twist.
Avdija took the inbounds pass and charged up the floor, veering into Westbrook’s path. There was contact - Avdija even extended the ball toward Westbrook’s face - but because Westbrook wasn’t fully set in front of him, the officials called the foul.
It was a bang-bang play, and one that left the Kings stunned. As they protested, Avdija calmly sank both free throws.
Game over. Blazers win.
It’s the kind of finish that leaves both teams with plenty to unpack. For Portland, there’s relief - and probably a bit of disbelief - after nearly letting a game slip away not once, but twice.
For Sacramento, it’s a gut punch. They did everything right down the stretch, only to see it undone by a whistle many in the arena didn’t even hear.
But that’s basketball. Sometimes, the difference between heartbreak and heroics is just 1.5 seconds.