The Portland Trail Blazers will have to take care of business the rest of the way against the Phoenix Suns Sunday night without NBA All-Star Deni Avdija.
The 25-year-old Avdija saw action for just a minute before leaving the game with an apparent back issue.
The Trail Blazers later announced that he is done for the rest of the evening at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix.
“INJURY UPDATE: Deni Avdija (Low Back) will not return to tonight’s game @ PHX,” Portland shared via a social media post on X, formerly Twitter.
The concerning update on Avdija has prompted some interesting reactions from Portland fans.
“Literally shouldn’t have played. He was the last leg on my parlay. Lost because he played 1 minute,” said a fan.
“Rest Deni until he is fully healthy,” a social media user shared.
Hopefully not done for the year 🙏🏾🫣 pic.twitter.com/jWk3kQ440x
— Michael J. Guidice (@MJG503) February 23, 2026
“Please just let him rest man we don’t want injury to ruin another star’s career,” commented a fan on X.
“Deni just cashing paychecks this year. Tired of carrying the whole fn team. Whose back wouldn't hurt?” another one said.
Avdija's back has bothered him in the 2025-26 NBA season, and it has forced him to miss nine games already in this campaign. He was listed as questionable for the meeting with the Suns, but something clearly did not go right that led to his early exit from the contest. He looked good, however, in last Friday's game against the Denver Nuggets at home, where he logged 30 minutes and scored 15 points to go along with 13 assists.
