The Portland Trail Blazers’ five-game winning streak ended at the hands of the New York Knicks on Sunday evening at the Moda Center. But the biggest storyline of the 123-114 loss walked stiffly into the Trail Blazers locker room about 45 minutes after the final buzzer sounded.
It was Blazers star forward Deni Avdija, wincing in pain as he returned from treatment. He wore a large ice pack wrapped across his lower back, and his tall 6-foot-8 frame was hunched slightly. He was in too much pain to bend over and remove his socks. Trying to sit down in the chair in front of his locker also presented a challenge, so he remained standing for a brief interview with reporters.
“\[It’s\] nothing major. … I’m not really concerned,” Avdija said. “I’m a tough guy. I’m gonna be alright.”
Avdija was discussing — and clearly still feeling — the ramifications of a lower back injury he sustained with 1:58 left in the fourth quarter. With the Blazers trailing 117-109, Avdija skied for a defensive rebound in the paint. As he landed on two feet, he immediately hunched over in pain, weakly tossing the ball to teammate Caleb Love with his right hand and grabbing his lower back with left. Avdija signaled to the bench and staggered straight off the court to the locker room, prompting the Blazers to call timeout with 1:53 remaining. He didn’t return as the Knicks closed out the win on the strength of an extended 20-10 run.
“Just the rebound, I just felt my back give up on me, and I couldn’t straighten up,” said Avdija, who finished the game with 25 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals in 38 minutes.
The late-game injury serves as a buzzkill for the Blazers, especially after everything seemed to click during their recent hot stretch. Heading into Sunday, they had won five in a row and seven of their last eight, including quality victories over the Houston Rockets (x2), Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs. Plus, the group finally had some injury luck go its way. Starting point guard Jrue Holiday returned to play against the Knicks after missing 27 games due to a right calf strain, marking his first action since Nov. 14. Considering all the positive momentum heading Portland’s way, a close loss against the star-studded Knicks would’ve been cause for flippant shouts of _Who Cares!_ But uncertainty surrounding Avdija’s health status? That’s cause for some concern until updates provide definitive clarity, even as Avdija provided reassurance on Sunday night.
“It just kinda sucks when one person comes back and another person gets hurt,” said Holiday, who produced eight points (on 2-7 shooting) and four assists in 16 minutes while coming off the bench and playing under a minutes restriction.
It’s no secret that Avdija’s rising stardom has been the primary engine generating Portland’s recent success. He’s averaged a herculean 26.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game to keep this team afloat, even as injuries throughout the roster have threatened to derail the season. Not only has Avdija adapted to handle an enormous offensive burden as the ball-dominant point-forward of Portland’s attack, but he has played in all 40 games this season while leading the league in total minutes (1,414).
“It’s a tough one, a tough hit after what he’s doing for us, but I don’t wanna sound the alarm too early,” Blazers acting head coach Tiago Splitter said at the postgame podium, adding he didn’t know much yet. “But yeah, I’m definitely worried about it.”
Avdija said his status was “TBD,” but he remained adamant that he wasn’t worried about the injury. Avdija’s resolve is strong enough to make one wonder if he’s the most reliable narrator on the severity of his own ailments, especially considering how hobbled he looked on Sunday. However, he said his positive assessment was not just based on his own opinion, but also the initial opinion of team doctors. So maybe Avdija really won’t have to miss much action at all.
Only time and further evaluation will provide the answer, but Avdija made it clear it won’t be easy to keep him on the sideline.
”I’m telling you,” Avdija said. “As soon as I’m walking on two feet, I’ll be able to play.”