The Portland Trail Blazers were on the brink of doing something just one other team has done this season when they entered the fourth quarter with a two-point lead over the one-loss defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
However, as they’ve done all season, the Thunder’s high-octane offense went into high gear in the fourth, as they snuck out of the Moda Center with a 123-115 win.
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“I think we did a great job today fighting for most of the game,” Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija told reporters after the game. “This team is blowing out everybody by 20, so coming in and giving them a good game until the fourth quarter was a great challenge for us.”
Avdija finished with a 31-point triple-double, adding 19 rebounds and 10 assists as the 24-year-old continues to ascend to stardom in his second year in Portland.
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During Sunday night’s game, Avdija — who is averaging career highs across the stat sheet this season — became just the third player in Trail Blazers history to record 500+ points, 100+ rebounds and 100+ assists over the first 20 games of a season. Avdija joins Clyde Drexler, who has done so three times, and Damian Lillard, who has done so twice, in the Trail Blazers’ record book.
Avdija has put on a career performance despite attracting more double and triple teams this season.
Deni Avdija is the third player in @trailblazers history to record 500+ points, 100+ rebounds and 100+ assists over the first 20 games of a season.
He joins Clyde Drexler (1987-88, 1988-89, 1991-92) and Damian Lillard (2017-18, 2018-19).
— Trail Blazers PR (@TrailBlazersPR) December 1, 2025
“It’s not easy,” Avdija said of the increased attention. “When I came to the league, at first people would leave me wide open in the corner. And working and grinding and making the right play every time coming down the court and transferring teams and now coming here and really finding my groove with this amazing team, the group of guys we’ve got.
“I’m just having fun and I’m trying to do the best I can to make the right decisions even if I get double teamed or tripled teamed. But it definitely gives you a little boost of confidence that you hurt teams and I’m happy that I can create passes and things for my teammates through those double or triple teams.”
After a disappointing loss, the Trail Blazers will have the chance to get back in the win column when they travel to face the 14-7 Toronto Raptors on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. PDT.
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