Deni Avdija erupted for 41 points, and his three-point play with 16.1 seconds remaining capped a dramatic comeback as the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Phoenix Suns 114-110 in an NBA play-in game on Tuesday. The victory ends a four-year playoff drought for the Trail Blazers, who will now face the San Antonio Spurs in a best-of-seven Western Conference playoff series starting Sunday.

In a tense finale, Jordan Goodwin's layup put the Suns ahead 110-109 with 32.5 seconds left, but he missed the ensuing free throw. The Blazers secured the rebound, called a timeout, and set up Avdija's driving score to take a 112-110 lead. Jerami Grant then sealed the win with a dunk off a steal with just 0.6 seconds on the clock. Avdija poured in 14 points in the fourth quarter, finishing with 12 assists and 7 rebounds.

Jrue Holiday added 21 points, and Grant contributed 16 points, including two clutch three-pointers during a game-ending 17-5 run. For the Suns, Jalen Green led with 35 points, Devin Booker scored 22, and Dillon Brooks added 20. Phoenix will get another chance to reach the playoffs on Friday against the winner of the Golden State Warriors-Los Angeles Clippers play-in game.

In another play-in contest, the Charlotte Hornets edged the Miami Heat 127-126 in overtime, with LaMelo Ball scoring 30 points and Miles Bridges blocking Davion Mitchell's shot at the buzzer. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra criticized Ball for a play that injured Bam Adebayo, calling it "dangerous" and alleging it should have resulted in an ejection, though Ball denied any intentional wrongdoing and apologized.

Source: www.aljazeera.com