Tiago Splitter withe Deni Avdija (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
Portland Trail Blazers — Daily Report
West · Northwest Division
Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers to compete in the Play-In Tournament after a resilient season finish.
42-40
W-L · 2025-26 Season
#8 in Conference
Season Snapshot
The Blazers wrapped up the regular season with a 42-40 record, finishing 8th in the Western Conference. This year showcased a solid home performance with a 24-17 record, despite struggles on the road. They now head into the Play-In Tournament, where they'll face the Phoenix Suns as the #8 seed.
24-17
Home
18-23
Away
29-23
Conference
Last Game
W
122-110
vs Sacramento Kings
2026-04-12
In their final regular season matchup, the Blazers defeated the Sacramento Kings 122-110, showcasing an energetic offensive display with a high pace of 101.67. While they struggled in the third quarter with just 19 points, they rallied with significant scoring in the second quarter, capping off the game with a strong finish.
Portland has played at a fast pace, ranking 9th in the league, but has been hindered by offensive inefficiencies, sitting at 29th in field goal percentage. They excel in rebounding (#6) and defensive blocks (#6), though they rank at the bottom in turnovers (#30). This season’s clutch performance has been a struggle, finishing 21-22 with a negative net rating, underscoring their difficulties closing games.
Injury Report
Damian Lillard will miss the remainder of the season as he continues to recover from a torn Achilles tendon, significantly impacting the team's leadership and scoring. Jerami Grant remains out due to a calf issue, increasing reliance on other players during the crucial Play-In games.
Damian Lillard (Out For Season): After losing to Tyler Herro (ribs) in 2025, Lillard won his third 3-Point Contest in four years. The star point guard posted 27 points in the first round and 29 in the second, beating Booker by two and Knueppel by 12 in the final round. Lillard is still recovering from a torn left Achilles tendon he sustained with the Bucks in the opening round of the playoffs last season, and he'll hope to return to action for Portland by the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
Jerami Grant (Out): A calf issue will cause Grant to miss his seventh game in a row to close out the regular season. It remains to be seen if he'll be available for the Play-In Tournament.
Player Season Averages
Player
GP
MIN
PTS
REB
AST
STL
BLK
FG%
3P%
FT%
TO
+/-
Deni Avdija
66
33.3
24.2
6.9
6.7
0.8
0.6
46.2
31.8
80.2
3.8
+0.2
Shaedon Sharpe
50
29.4
20.8
4.3
2.6
1.4
0.1
45.2
33.7
78.7
2.9
-1.0
Jerami Grant
57
29.7
18.6
3.5
2.1
0.7
0.6
45.3
38.9
81.4
2.1
-0.1
Jrue Holiday
53
29.4
16.3
4.6
6.1
1.0
0.1
45.1
37.8
83.8
2.8
+3.7
Scoot Henderson
30
24.9
14.2
2.7
3.7
0.9
0.3
41.8
35.2
84.0
2.4
+1.8
Toumani Camara
82
33.3
13.4
5.1
2.5
1.1
0.4
44.0
37.0
70.8
1.8
+0.4
Donovan Clingan
77
27.2
12.1
11.6
2.1
0.6
1.7
52.0
34.1
68.0
1.2
+0.2
Caleb Love
49
20.7
10.4
2.3
2.5
0.6
0.1
38.8
31.8
73.5
1.3
If you had to describe the Portland Trail Blazers' offense = which tonight faces the Phoenix Suns in the Play-In game for the No. 7 seed in the West, the first word that comes to mind is simple. Tiago Splitter isn't trying to impress anyone with his playbook.
His first priority is pace: the Blazers finished the regular season 9th in the league with 101.67 points per 100 possessions. His second priority is volume from three: Portland finished 3rd in the league with 42.2 three-point attempts per game. The shooting part is a bit more challenging - the Blazers ranked 28th in three-point percentage at 34.3%.
"I don't believe in too many systems because guys got to think too much and all the thinking slows your game. I believe in fast and simple."
Splitter was coaching Paris Basketball at the time - a team he led to the French championship and the EuroLeague quarterfinals - and continued the fast-paced style of his predecessor, Tuomas Iisalo, now in Memphis.
In Portland the style is slightly different, but no less simple: heavy pick-and-roll usage for the Blazers' guards and forwards, led by Deni Avdija, Jrue Holiday, and Shaedon Sharpe; drag screens in transition; hunting guard-to-guard screen mismatches; and a handful of entry actions that all funnel toward paint penetration, finishing at the rim or spraying out to shooters (drive and kick).
Tonight's opponent, the Phoenix Suns, operates out of a surprisingly similar offensive framework. Splitter understands, it seems, that there are things more important in basketball than a huge playbook.
In any case - here's the nearly complete Portland Trail Blazers playbook:
