PORTLAND, OREGON — The Portland Trail Blazers rallied from a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, with Deni Avdija scoring a game-winning layup to clinch the franchise's first NBA playoff berth since 2021. The victory earned Portland the Western Conference's seventh seed and set up a first-round playoff matchup against the San Antonio Spurs.

Avdija's go-ahead layup in the final moments sealed the win and ended a four-year postseason drought for Portland, which last reached the NBA playoffs in 2021. The team will enter the first round as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, where the Spurs await.

Trail Blazers head coach Tiago Splitter, who received an unexpected overnight promotion to the head coaching position during the season, spoke about the challenges the team overcame to reach the postseason. "I think we went through everything that you can imagine, right?" Splitter said after the game. "But this group is very resilient. They went through a lot throughout the season, and to be in the playoffs is a great accomplishment for this group."

The playoff berth came during a period of transition for the Trail Blazers organization. Ownership of the franchise was sold to Tom Dundon in March 2026, and the team operated under new leadership throughout the season leading up to the playoff run. Splitter's promotion to head coach added another layer of change during that same period.

Despite those changes, Portland secured a postseason spot on the final night of the regular season with its fourth-quarter rally against Phoenix. The Trail Blazers will now prepare to face the Spurs in the franchise's first playoff series since 2021.