NBA: Trail Blazers Forward Deni Avdija expected to play Friday

Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija is expected to be available for Friday’s game against the Toronto Raptors, despite leaving Thursday’s 127-110 win over the Miami Heat with back soreness.

Avdija exited early in the third quarter and did not return, finishing with 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 18 minutes. He left the contest less than two minutes into the second half, and the team later ruled him out for the remainder of the game.

After the win, Trail Blazers coach Tiago Splitter told reporters he expects Avdija to play in the second game of the back-to-back.

“I think he’ll be fine,” Splitter said.

Avdija also addressed the situation, praising the coaching staff’s cautious approach.

“Tiago does a great job making decisions to protect me,” Avdija said. “There’s a lot of season left. We don’t want to do anything that will affect the season in the long run.”

Avdija recently missed three consecutive games due to lower-back soreness. He had played in each of the team’s first 40 games before the injury. Thursday’s game marked his second appearance since returning.

Before leaving the matchup, Avdija entered as the Trail Blazers’ scoring leader at 26.2 points per game. He also ranked second on the team in rebounding (7.1) and assists (6.9).

—Field Level Media/Reuters