San Antonio Spurs point guard De’Aaron Fox drove into the paint against Portland Trail Blazers star Deni Avdija late in the second quarter of Game 3 on Friday. Fox’s elbow hit Avdija in the face, forcing the referees to call an offensive foul on the speedy guard.
While the Spurs challenged the call, Avdija checked his teeth. One of the play-by-play callers said that the Israeli star chipped a tooth. A fan on X jumped on the comment and wrote that the hit from Fox was the reason for the broken tooth.
However, another fan clarified the confusion by sharing a past Instagram story from Deni Avdija. In August 2025, while playing for Israel in the EuroBasket, Avdija shared a photo showing his chipped tooth after his country’s 83-71 win against Iceland.
The offensive foul called against Fox was overturned upon review. Avdija was called for a foul for stepping into Fox’s space as the point guard went up for the shot.
However, the technical foul against Fox for complaining stood. Avdija converted the technical foul off Fox while the former All-Star converted the and-1 play with a free throw as well. After exchanging free throw shots, the Blazers held a 62-59 lead.
Deni Avdija, Blazers Wilted To Lose to De’Aaron Fox and Co.
For the first three quarters, Deni Avdija and the Portland Trail Blazers took advantage of Victor Wembanyama’s absence. Without Wemby, the unanimous 2025-26 NBA Defensive Player of the Year winner, Portland built an 82-67 lead with 5:09 remaining in the third frame.
However, Fox and Co. responded with a crippling 21-5 blast. Fox’s jumper inched San Antonio to within 87-86 of the home team entering the final quarter.
Dylan Harper had seven points and one assist in the first six minutes of the fourth frame to give the Spurs a 101-95 lead. Four straight points from Stephon Castle pushed San Antonio its first double-digit lead in the game.
Fox contributed six points and two assists past the midway point of the fourth quarter to guide the Spurs to a 120-108 win over Deni Avdija’s Blazers.
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