Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija scored 34 points to lead his team to a 120-107 victory over the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Cup on Saturday.
The performance marked a new season high for Avdija, who surpassed his previous mark of 28 points set against Oklahoma City in the previous game, according to ONE. The win contributes to a 3-9 record for Portland as the team begins a six-game road trip, Sport5 reported.
Avdija played 34 minutes and shot 11-of-13 from the field, according to ONE. His offensive output included three-pointers on five attempts and a perfect 9-of-9 from the free-throw line. He also recorded six rebounds, four assists, and one block during the contest.
The Trail Blazers built a 20-point lead during the game after a relatively competitive first half, Sport5 noted. While Sacramento managed to reduce the deficit to nine points in the fourth quarter following a three-pointer by Darius Akuff, they could not close the gap.
Portland’s team shooting was efficient throughout the night, finishing with a 48 percent field goal percentage, 41 percent from three-point range on 17 attempts, and 29-of-31 from the free-throw line, ONE reported.
Damian Lillard supported the scoring effort with 29 points, including six three-pointers and a perfect 11-of-11 from the free-throw line, according to ONE. Lillard also contributed five assists. The combination of Avdija’s efficient scoring and Lillard’s outside shooting made the Portland offense particularly difficult to stop.
Other notable performances for the Trail Blazers included:
- Toumani Camara: 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting, ONE
- Donovan Clingan: 13 points and 10 rebounds, ONE
Sacramento was led by Emmanuel Sharpe played seven minutes for the Kings, scoring four points on 2-of-3 shooting along with a steal and a block, ONE reported. During his seven minutes on the court, the Israeli guard missed his only three-point attempt, committed one turnover, and recorded three fouls, while the Kings trailed by five points during his time in the game.
Avdija’s recent scoring surge follows his placement as the 12th seed in the official weekly NBA MVP rankings, Haaretz reported. This marks the second week he has appeared in the top 12 of the list compiled by NBA writer Shawn Powell. Avdija’s ranking follows Giannis Antetokounmpo of Miami and precedes players such as Karl-Anthony Towns and Jamal Murray.
At the start of the season, Avdija has maintained averages of 23.0 points, 6.5 assists, and 6.1 rebounds in 32.6 minutes per game on 47.4 percent field goal shooting, according to Haaretz. The weekly ranking is determined by a player’s cumulative ability, recent performances, and availability, Walla! Sport reported.
The top of the weekly rankings includes Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers, who averages 38.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game. Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs is ranked second with averages of 30.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 4.4 blocks.
Jayson Tatum of Boston holds the third position. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Oklahoma City and Steph Curry of Golden State round out the top five. Curry is expected to be out for approximately two weeks due to a torn abdominal muscle.