Israeli basketball player Deni Avdija of the Portland Trail Blazers is continuing to make his case to be a part of the 2026 All-Star Game to be played in Los Angeles next month.
Avdija on Saturday helped the Blazers to a 115-110 victory on the road against the San Antonio Spurs, who are currently in second place in the Western Conference.
In the game, which was played on Avdija’s 25th birthday, the Israeli notched a triple-double with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
San Antonio, playing without its star Victor Wembanyama, managed to erase a double‑digit deficit from the first quarter and even took the lead in the third. However, a 12-0 run by the visiting Trail Blazers restored their advantage, and Avdija sealed the victory with two massive three‑pointers.
Avdija finished with the highest plus‑minus on the court. With the win, Portland improved to a 16-20 record. Despite being under .500, Portland is currently in 9th place in the Western Conference, giving it a spot in the play-in tournament.
The victory came just days after the NBA released the first results of the fan voting for the All-Star Game, in which Avdija was placed seventh in the Western Conference, just two spots away from being chosen for the West’s starting five.
Avdija was selected ninth overall in the 2020 NBA draft by the Wizards and spent his first four NBA seasons in Washington before being traded to Portland before the start of the 2024-25 season.
Last February, he recorded a new career high for an Israeli NBA player, scoring 43 points in a contest against the New Orleans Pelicans.