Portland Trail Blazers All-Star Deni Avdija’s attempt to suit up against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night only lasted 59 seconds of game action.
On Portland’s second offensive possession in Phoenix, Avdija’s back appeared to lock up again after he backed down Suns guard Ryan Dunn in the post and passed the ball out to Donovan Clingan. There was minimal contact on the play, but Avdija immediately reached for his lower back in noticeable discomfort and walked toward the Blazers bench as the Suns went
down the floor on offense. Portland forward Jerami Grant committed an intentional foul to stop play, and Avdija checked out at the 11:01 mark of the first quarter.
The 6-foot-8 forward went back to the locker room. Shortly after the substitution, the Blazers announced Avdija wouldn’t return to the game due to a lower back injury.
Before tipoff, Avdija was listed as questionable to play due to lower back injury management. Blazers acting head coach Tiago Splitter said during the pregame press conference that Avdija would go through warmups before a decision would be made about his availability for the night.
Avdija’s back issues first began this season when he sustained a lower back strain against the New York Knicks on Jan. 11. Since then, Avdija has missed 10 of Portland’s last 17 games due to lingering issues with his back.
At the time of publish, the Blazers lead the Suns 47-40 at halftime.
