The Portland Trail Blazers have struck gold with the ascension of Deni Avdija this season. The 6-foot-8 forward has unexpectedly elevated his play to an All-Star level and while Portland may not be experiencing the level of success they would like,

The Portland Trail Blazers are the owners of an 18-20 record and a four-game winning streak, good enough for ninth place in the Western Conference. Houston lost to the Trail Blazers (103-102) on the road. Portland beat the Rockets (103-102) at home.

The NBA on Thursday released the second batch of returns for All-Star fan voting and Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija landed among the top 10 on Western Conference ballots.

Deni Avdija had 33 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in three quarters, falling just short of his second consecutive triple-double, and the Portland Trail Blazers routed the Utah Jazz 137-117

Portland Trail Blazers wing Deni Avdija has gotten flowers from two of the greatest minds to ever take to an NBA court: Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Hall of Fame point guard Steve Nash. The two gave Avdija props for his All-Star-caliber season on their Mind The Game podcast.

Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija kept it humble after recording an epic triple double on his birthday.

But the Rockets, understandably, weren’t feeling the love. They walked away with a bitter defeat after forward Tari Eason’s tip-in was waved off because video review showed it came just after the buzzer. What would have been a game-winner instead was nullified.