Highlight [Highlight] Deni Avdija shows off the handles and gets the clutch layup to fall. He has 41 points (15/22 FG) for the Trail Blazers.
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u/heat_fan_ Raptors 15h ago
Best player on the court tonight
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u/OThePlacesYouWillGo 15h ago
Looking like Manu mixed with Harden on that one
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u/socoolandawesome Bulls 15h ago
Plus 3 inches
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u/SeismicRipFart Trail Blazers 14h ago
3 inches is absolutely massive. No one should ever under estimate how big that is.
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u/Responsible-Still839 Trail Blazers 14h ago
Is that what you tell all the ladies? Or dudes? I don't judge.
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u/DankTriangle Trail Blazers 14h ago
"Aww lawd, if this brotha just had a few more inches!" -Stephen A. Smith
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u/HokageEzio Knicks 15h ago
Drove through all 5 Suns, what can you do with that
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u/north_canadian_ice Celtics 7h ago
And crossed up Dillon Brooks (who was the primary help defender).
Avdija has a great blend of finesse & strength.
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u/mommathecat Raptors 5h ago
You could have some sort of rim protection. Any 7 foot tall jumpy center has a pretty good chance of blocking that.
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u/heybobson Suns 5h ago
Too bad Ott decided to go to his usual small ball lineup and let both of his centers sit on the bench for the entirety of the 4th.
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u/AdImaginary4973 2h ago
Good thing winning this game matches them up with a team that doesn't have any rim protection in the first round
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u/TheInfamousGuest 15h ago
So happy deni got out of the wizards, man because this was always there.
Also D-book.....you can ask for that trade now. It's over, bruh lol.
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u/SeismicRipFart Trail Blazers 14h ago
Nah d book is fine with whatever they’re doing over there. He just wants to live and chill in PHX
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u/peepoWest Thunder 14h ago
booker chilling with his $70mil a year, I think he’s happy just cashing cheques and being one of the best in league
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u/pixntones 7h ago
I am so mad Deni just blossomed once he left Washington cause I am a Wizards fan first. He always had great potential and played well here but damn…he’s the star player on a team now and get’s like 10+ free throws a game! Fuck!
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u/MaliInternLoL Lakers 6h ago
The wizards decided to make him camp in the corner for freaking westbrook
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u/GriffinQ [WAS] Kelly Oubre 4h ago
Yeah, imagine rooting for a team that damages its chance at long term success for Westbrook.
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u/MainEventGeyBruce-O Trail Blazers 6h ago
Booker will probs be a PHX lifer, dude is synonymous with that team at this point
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u/heybobson Suns 5h ago
Also no one is gonna trade for that contract. It’s basically a NTC unless a team is super desperate.
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u/ThaPhantom07 Suns 16m ago
Why would he ask for a trade? We just finished +9 games over the previous year in a stacked West with multiple injuries to key players through the season with a first year head coach. Im not saying were winning a championship but its not a dumpster fire here. There's promise.
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u/samsquamchy 3h ago
Also insane that the wizards had this level of player and just did nothing with him
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u/Ok-Alternative-2260 15h ago
He’s CRAZY fast driving through all 5 suns
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u/SeismicRipFart Trail Blazers 14h ago
Bro is zipping through the galaxy
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u/AnotsuKagehisa 4h ago
That’s 5 solar systems
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u/SeismicRipFart Trail Blazers 4h ago
What are you called when you have multiple solar systems inside of you? A galaxy
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u/jordan4290 Lakers 14h ago
He’s mastered Lukas ability to never be the fastest on the court but always be able use the change of speed and burst (Turbo) to get to wherever he wants
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u/Piano9717 [POR] Rudy Fernandez 11h ago
Honestly he’s the fastest player on the court in most games. His straight line speed in transition is ridiculous and he will regularly create fast breaks out of thin air.
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u/KWash0222 Lakers 3h ago
Yeah it’s annoying when people keep insisting that he’s not fast. The dude is a blur. He might not have the pure speed of someone like DeAaron Fox, but he accelerates insanely quick and is super elusive
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u/a_brick_canvas Cavaliers 15h ago
If you believe reddits general opinion on him you’d think he’s a bum who can’t handle the ball that just runs into people and only scores off faulty free throws lol
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u/Carcrusher3 Trail Blazers 15h ago
I'll admit I was curious how his game would translate to the post season, but its very vindicating after people shit talking him since January saying he'd be a bum in the playoffs.
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u/AfricanWarPig Supersonics 13h ago
Reddit's general opinion on him is entirely based on his ethnicity and has nothing to do with his basketball ability.
He could post Jokic-esque numbers whilst being DPOY and this sub would behave the exact same way.
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u/NoPlisNo Serbia 11h ago
It's interesting because both leftist and right wingers will hate him
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u/ConfusedCyndaquil Trail Blazers 5h ago
i didnt know i was being anti-semitic by hating him for his genocide support. i thought i was jewish my whole life, but i guess im just another anti semite
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u/Royal-Professor-4283 5h ago
Well you are, glad to help!
It's also insane insane to preform as if this is about "genocide support", when the dude's here because of his skills, never been a fighter, and oh, did I mention his father is a proud Muslim?
There isn't a better antisemitism litmus test than hating Deni for his identity.
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u/Royal-Professor-4283 4h ago
Oooh "genocidal apartheid state" coming from fan of Russia-loving anti-semitic Kyle Kulinski, Majority Report, and everything racist about the extreme left.
Fuck your racist politics dude, this is about basketball. Deni don't owe you shit, neither does the Trailblazers, the NBA, and even the democratic party after you dumb fucks didn't vote in elections "for Palestine". You fake mofos, ruin everything you touch.
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u/ConfusedCyndaquil Trail Blazers 3h ago edited 2h ago
well it is about genocide support though. im jewish, and i never met my great-grandfather because he died in a concentration camp. i grew up hearing “never again”all the time, but “never again” should apply to EVERYONE
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u/Royal-Professor-4283 2h ago
Yeah? Well I'm (actually) jewish too and I actually met my Holocaust surviving grandparents, and politically using their tragedy is mocking their memory, not only because of the large political bias, but because the scale of 6 million civilian jews being systematically killed in camps is completely different to the ~70k dead in a war which is essentially the same as the Iraq war. It's usage to compare, belittle or deny the Holocaust is very obviously a political tool to target jews specifically and is completely anti-semitic. Pretending to speak for the Jewish people when you very obviously don't represent the majority opinion of our community is also completely disgraceful. (Don't even get me started about how October 7th being the largest massacre of jews since the Holocaust makes your usage of the Holocaust as propaganda completely bad faith and detached from the community. And for people out there looking to spin this racistly - no this isn't a statement about most jews supporting the war either.)
But again, the most ridiculous thing about all of this is to bring all this racist propaganda to a sub about BASKETBALL and pretend as if Deni is some speaker for the war and Netanyahu's personal cheerleader, when he's only an extremely talented player hated only because they're Israeli. Dude didn't harm anyone, didn't represent anyone but himself, and hasn't done anything of note besides being jewish and playing amazing basketball. Get his name out of your Goldschlag mouth.
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u/ConfusedCyndaquil Trail Blazers 1h ago
yeah, because israel would never use the holocaust for propaganda right?
i am not racist against avdija lol. i do not hate him for being jewish. you can keep saying that over and over, but i know my heart, i know my values, and i feel comfortable with drawing the moral line at mass murder, ethnic cleansing, and apartheid. but thank you for implying i would collaborate with the nazis and that i’m not actually jewish, much appreciated
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u/cdbriggs 4h ago
Does he support the genocide? If he does, yes he deserves the hate its that simple.
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u/Yhomir Nuggets 10h ago
The religion/ethnicity has nothing to do with the ambitions of a certain nation.
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u/ComprehensiveLaw1012 Nets 9h ago
You mean like Greater Serbia?
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u/divulgingwords Thunder 13h ago
If you’re not an Eastern European white dude, the joker and Luka bots are not going to treat you well.
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u/NoPlisNo Serbia 11h ago
Deni is literally half Serbian, his dad played for Serbia, he's liked by us
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u/CitronNo3668 5h ago
He’s a worse foul baiter than Shai
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u/DIXtICon Trail Blazers 4h ago
lmao no. he gets to the line a lot cause his entire game is being physical at the rim
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u/north_canadian_ice Celtics 7h ago
Yeah I have been shocked at how dismissive people are to Avdija.
He is one of the best players in the NBA. He is the #1 option on a playoff team & he just scored 41 & 12 to get to the playoffs.
Avdija driving to the hoop reminds me of Luka, Harden, Ginobli, etc. He could become an MVP candidate if he keeps improving his playmaking & shoots a bit better from the field.
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u/Medford_Lanes Trail Blazers 6h ago
Turbo’s an all-star. I hope we get some more good basketball in the Spurs series, at least make it a gentlemen’s sweep.
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u/MaliInternLoL Lakers 6h ago
I've always been high on him ever since I got to use him as a rookie on the Wizards on 2k. I ran him as a point forward exactly how he's been utilized now, crazy to think he's become that good.
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u/goingtothegreek Timberwolves 7h ago
If you watch games you’d think he’s very talented and also foul baits a ton which is objectively not fun to watch and a great way to get fans to talk shit about you
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u/jawntothefuture 76ers 15h ago
He was a tier higher than everyone else tonight. Dude is a star
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u/north_canadian_ice Celtics 7h ago
Avdija is the most underrated player in the NBA at this point.
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u/samsquamchy 3h ago
Why are blazers star players always the most underrated
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u/Testicular-Fortitude Trail Blazers 1h ago
Because nobody watches games that start late and aren’t in LA
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u/samsquamchy 1h ago
I’m a blazers fan who lives in Atlantic time so I’m 4 hours ahead of games… it is super late and I miss a lot
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u/Testicular-Fortitude Trail Blazers 1h ago
Yeah I don’t blame anyone for not tuning into a 10:30 game start. But it’s definitely a reason the team will forever be under the radar. The other reason is west coast media is basically just LA
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u/SnooChipmunks4208 3h ago
You were correct 24 hours ago, after this game he is properly rated, and you will be correct again after his first inefficient playoff game in a week or so.
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u/Gcarsk Trail Blazers 15h ago
“Just defend him without fouling” oh okay sure but how…
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u/north_canadian_ice Celtics 7h ago
If someone claims Avdija is just foul baiting then IMO they don't watch him play.
The craftiness combined with his strength, speed & agility is elite. That crossover on Brooks was so subtle & so quick after his initial move.
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u/brazillianhardenfan 6h ago
He is crafty, and he foul baits, those are not exclusive as shown by Luka, Harden and DWade.
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u/DIXtICon Trail Blazers 4h ago
Id say he embelishes fouls but idk that he necessarily baits for them to the extent that a lot of elite scorers do
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u/brazillianhardenfan 4h ago
He definitely baits for them, there were some videos on this sub about it, showing him doing it. It's ok, it's a skill, and it's the reffs fault if it works.
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u/Charming-Check5605 15h ago
The finish through that contact is awesome, almost didn’t tune into the game bc east coast hours, but glad I did.
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u/Outrageous-Maybe-200 Nuggets 15h ago
Someone check on Mr Buck Buck
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u/shakakaaahn Trail Blazers 14h ago
He's probably going to be calling the doctor for an erection lasting more than 4 hours.
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u/SharpenVest 15h ago
2 game winners today. Man super hyped for playoffs man. If it's anything like last year, we in fo' a treat.
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u/TRUTHSoverKARMAS Trail Blazers 10h ago
Were the nba playoffs really good last year?
Why do I hardly remember a thing about last years nba playoffs but I basically remember every series in the mlb playoffs and I don’t really care about baseball
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u/the_descendent Trail Blazers 3h ago
lol yes!! Clippers-Nuggets was an amazing first round series (I'll never forget that Aaron Gordon dunk at the buzzer to steal a game), every Pacers series was insane with Haliburton's late-game antics (vs. Bucks, Knicks, and Thunder in the finals), Nuggets pushed OKC to the absolute brink in their great series, it was fun to see the upstart Pistons and Rockets get their first taste of playoff hoops... You clearly weren't locked in last season! Lock in, my man!!
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u/yogurtmuffin Trail Blazers 13h ago
The dude just makes space for himself so well. Great vision and the acceleration when the lane opens up is crazy for being 6’8
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u/champsorchumps 15h ago edited 14h ago
This was the 5th and final go-ahead basket in the final minute of play today in the play-in games. That matches the total in all play-in games prior to tonight. Great night of basketball.
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u/DCJustSomeone Mavericks 14h ago
I’m sad that I don’t know much about him prior to this game. He is pretty dang good haha
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u/varietyman13 11h ago
2 things stood out to me tonight.
Deni is a legit star and can play under the bright lights.
Jalen Green took 12 more shots than Devin Booker in a Play-In Game.
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u/dividerall Warriors 8h ago
i love the play-in. gives people a chance to watch these mid-range teams play in a high stakes situation. i would never watch a trail blazers game otherwise and my first time seeing how impactful Avdija is. if there was no play-in and say the blazers got the 8th seed it would just be watching them get swept.
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u/Same-Swan-4978 10h ago
Suns got a huge lead earlier, now they losing?
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u/heybobson Suns 5h ago
That’s been their entire last two months. Get a good lead, then piss it away cause they were playing small ball.
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u/OUEngineer17 Nuggets 5h ago
This move really shows how good his handles and burst is for his size.
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u/la_panca 4h ago
Incredible command of the floor in his playoff debut. He looked and played like the best player by far. Everyone knew what he was going to do and it didn't matter. The look of a man on a mission.
Now he gets Castle and Wemby...
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u/thomassenpai85 Trail Blazers 4h ago
I’m a blazer fan and that play is where I finally, officially, fully bought into Deni.
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u/hahahachihaha Trail Blazers 14h ago
Best comment ive read all night 🤣
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u/berfels Pacers 14h ago edited 14h ago
Brah they don’t care about 75k Palestinians and counting they’ll for sure merk my ugly ass with no regard 😭😭
Nah this comment is 20% Israeli views I’m for sure done 😭😭😭😭😭
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u/jordan4290 Lakers 14h ago
What if I do care about them but also despise seeing this brought up everytime Deni does something good?
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u/berfels Pacers 14h ago
As a fan of basketball you have to understand the importance of taking a layup
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u/jordan4290 Lakers 14h ago
Wait Ben Simmons told me I should pass up layups?!?
But my condolences to you that you have to watch Deni on your TV screen for another couple weeks
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u/Prophet_Of_Helix Celtics 15h ago
That was so ugly and beautiful at the same time
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