On Saturday, Deni Avdija missed a pair of critical late-game shots that sent Israel to a costly loss.
On Sunday, the Portland Trail Blazers’ starting small forward carried his home country to an important victory.
Avdija had another dominant all-around performance and Israel rallied from a first-half deficit to defeat previously-unbeaten France, 82-69, in Group D play at the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 tournament in Katowice, Poland.
Avdija had his best and most impactful performance of the tournament in the win, finishing with a game-high 23 points, eight rebounds, five steals and two assists. And he was at his best in the fourth quarter, when Israel seized control of a tight game with an 11-0 run.
The two-way force had 10 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal in the final frame, during which Israel outscored France 27-13 to cruise to a surprisingly easy victory.
Avdija started the late-game outburst by swishing a step-back three-pointer midway through the fourth to give Israel a 60-59 lead. Then, in the blink of an eye, Avdija and Israel took over.
He followed the three with an impressive three-point play in transition, completing a fast-break layup as he was fouled. Later, Avdija snatched a steal on the perimeter and charged the other way, finishing a coast-to-coast fast-break layup with a Euro step. The highlight-reel play gave Israel to a 72-63 lead and it never looked back.
The clutch performance was an about-face from one day earlier, when Avdija missed two backbreaking three-pointers in the final minute of a two-point loss to co-host Poland. It also moved Israel to 2-1 in Group D play.
Avdija, who made 7 of 10 field goals, including 3 of 4 three-pointers, in the win, is averaging 22.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 3.0 steals and 1.7 blocks in the international tournament.
—Joe Freeman is a senior writer at The Oregonian/OregonLive covering the Trail Blazers and NBA. Reach him at 503-294-5183,jfreeman@oregonian.com,@BlazerFreeman or@freemanjoe.bsky.social. Our journalism needs your support.Subscribe today toOregonLive.com.
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