By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Deni Avdija paced the Portland Trail Blazers with 26 points in Game 4 of a best-of-seven series in the opening round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, presented by Google, though his standout performance was punctuated by a heated confrontation late in the contest.
With just 2:13 remaining on the clock in Moda Center on Sunday, the 25-year-old Israeli forward and Stephon Castle were assessed offsetting technical fouls following a tense exchange of shoves. Avdija finished the night with a robust stat line, recording seven rebounds, three assists, and a steal on 8-of-14 shooting across 37 minutes of play.
Reflecting on the incident during the post-game press conference, he addressed the friction with Castle directly. “I think he’s a good player. I have a lot of respect for him, but the thing at the end, all the shoving the ball into my chest, is unnecessary. I don’t play those games. It’s not who I am,” mentioned Avdija. “You can be tough, you can be physical, but there’s a level of disrespect that I’m not gonna accept. He does a lot of provocation throughout the whole game. I think at one point it was just disrespectful.”
The team coached by Tiago Splitter featured Belgian forward Toumani Camara starting alongside Avdija, and putting in a versatile performance with eight points, five rebounds, one block, one steal, and one assist. From the bench, France’s Sidy Cissoko had one assist and one steal in his four minutes of action, while Czechia’s Vit Krejci saw the floor for two scoreless minutes.
Portland was unable to protect a commanding early lead. The Blazers initially surged ahead 45-28 in the first half following a dominant 18-3 run, and led by as many as 19 points during the half and entered the break with a comfortable 58-41 advantage. However, the momentum shifted entirely in the second half.
The series now returns to San Antonio’s Frost Bank Center for Game 5 on Tuesday.
NBA Playoffs 2026
Eastern Conference
Quarterfinals (best-of-seven)
1. Detroit Pistons – Orlando Magic 1-2 (101-112, 98-83, 105-113)
2. Cleveland Cavaliers – Toronto Raptors 2-2 (126-113, 115-105, 104-126, 89-93)
3. New York Knicks – Atlanta Hawks 2-2 (113-102, 106-107, 108-109, 114-98)
4. Boston Celtics – Philadelphia 76ers 3-1 (123-91, 97-111, 108-100, 128-96)
Semifinals (best-of-seven)
5. Winners 1-2
6. Winners 3-4
Finals (best-of-seven)
Winners of Semifinals
Western Conference
Quarterfinals (best-of-seven)
1. Oklahoma City Thunder – Phoenix Suns 3-0 (119-84, 120-107, 121-109)
2. Los Angeles Lakers – Houston Rockets 3-0 (107-98, 101-94, 112-108)
3. Denver Nuggets – Minnesota Timberwolves 1-3 (126-115, 114-119, 96-113, 96-112)
4. San Antonio Spurs – Portland Trail Blazers 3-1 (111-98, 103-106, 120-108, 114-93)
Semifinals (best-of-seven)
5. Winners 1-2
6. Winners 3-4
Finals (best-of-seven)
Winners of Semifinals
NBA Finals 2026 (best-of-seven)
Eastern Conference and Western Conference champions