Deni Avdija Scores 28 as Portland Beats Denver 118–110

Deni Avdija scored 28 points as the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Denver Nuggets 118–110 at Ball Arena in Denver on Monday night, a game that finished early Tuesday in Israel. Portland improved to 5–1, while Denver fell to 3–3. Avdija was Portland’s leading scorer. The Israeli forward added five assists and three rebounds in 34 minutes and 48 seconds. He made 10 of his 22 field-goal attempts, including two of nine from three-point range, and six of nine free throws. His final basket was a running layup off a Jrue Holiday assist with 1.7 seconds remaining, setting the final score. Portland recovered from a 31–19 deficit after the first quarter. Denver still led 66–58 at halftime and 87–85 after three quarters, but the Trail Blazers outscored the Nuggets 33–23 in the fourth. Damian Lillard contributed 20 points, six rebounds and six assists. Donovan Clingan finished with 17 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks, while Holiday had 17 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. Jamal Murray led Denver with 35 points, five rebounds and six assists, making all 11 of his free throws. Nikola Jokić added 26 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. The game was played in front of 19,520 spectators.