The Knicks-Trail Blazers matchup came down to the wire in the fourth quarter. After trailing for most of the game, Portland had a chance to seize the lead—until disaster struck. Star forward Deni Avdija, one of the Blazers’ top scorers, limped off the floor with a tweaked back just minutes from the end.

Without him, New York pulled away for a 123-114 victory. Avdija is unlikely to return this late, and his status remains questionable pending an update from coach Chauncey Billups.

Despite the injury, the Blazers forward led his team with 25 points (one shy of Jalen Brunson’s game-high), adding 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and a block. He shot 47% from the field and 80% from the free-throw line over 38 minutes.

Avdija revealed he had a major scare before Friday’s game against Houston. He was in a car accident but fortunately came out unscathed and played the game just fine. It doesn’t seem like he had any injuries from that. At least he didn’t reveal anything.

It appears to be a non-contact injury. He was not on the injury report before the game, which doesn’t indicate if he aggravated an existing condition. He’s probably undergoing a medical evaluation, and we’ll know what happened later.

Given the situation in Portland right now, Avdija probably doesn’t want to be out for a long stretch of time.

Deni Avdija’s health is key to Portland’s chances

The Portland Trail Blazers are the worst-hit team in the entire NBA at the start of 2026. Besides Damian Lillard, who is ruled out for the rest of the season until his ACL recovers, the injury list is crowded with five other players.

Jerami Grant (left Achilles tendonitis), Scoot Henderson (left hamstring tear)​, Matisse Thybulle (thumb injury)​, Kris Murray (back/ankle)​ and Blake Wesley (foot)​ were all ruled out before tonight’s game.

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Before this game, Jrue Holiday was upgraded to probable while he still deals with a calf strain in his right leg. He entered the game for limited minutes and backed up the starters with 8 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds. Given the team’s current state, even this is plenty.

It’s Avdija who’s keeping the Blazers alive with injuries on the court and drama off the court this season. He’s averaging career highs of 26.3 PPG (previous 16.9) and 7.0 APG (previous 3.9) while leading the league in free throws. He’s led Portland to five straight wins, including Friday’s 111-105 win over Houston.

Injuries have been a different kind of upset for the Israel-born forward. His promising career with the Wizards was severely limited by ankle troubles. He played only 54 games in his first season.

The Wizards ultimately cut their losses with a gifted playmaker and sent him to Portland in 2024.

After a little period of adjustment, Avdija is in a breakout season. Washington fans even believe that maybe the Wizards jumped the gun.

He has kept this team thriving despite the injury curse. The Splitter and the Blazers are probably crossing their fingers that his injury is not severe.