DENI AVDIJA

Nikola Jovic of Serbia and Ousmane Dieng of France are among the top international prospects in Thursday night's NBA draft.

It lasted 174 days, required the usage of more players than any season in history primarily because of the ongoing challenge of playing through a pandemic, and saw playoff-positioning chases go all the way down to the final moments.

DETROIT (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis had 30 points and 10 rebounds and the Washington Wizards held on to beat the Detroit Pistons 100-97 on Friday night. Deni Avdija added 21 points and 10 rebounds to help the Wizards sweep the four-game season series. Marvin Bagley III led Detroit with 25 points, and Cade Cunningham added 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Cunningham’s jumper made it 96-95, and after two Wizards misses, he put Detroit up 97-96 with 45 seconds left. Avdija had 13 points in the quarter as the Wizards outshot Detroit 55% to 29.2%.

Russell Westbrook nearly had a triple-double and Bradley Beal scored 25 points in just 29 minutes to help the Washington Wizards reach the NBA playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 seed by overwhelming the Indiana Pacers 142-115 in the play-in round.

Stephen Curry had his first rough night in a month, and Bradley Beal rallied Washington in the fourth quarter for its season-best sixth straight victory, 118-114 over the Golden State Warriors.

Orlando Magic guard Markelle Fultz (20) shoots as Washington Wizards forward Isaac Bonga (17) and forward Deni Avdija (9) defend in the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Washington. (Geoff Burke/Pool Photo via AP)WASHINGTON – The Orlando Magic beat Washington 130-120 on Saturday night, overcoming another triple-double by Russell Westbrook in his home debut for the Wizards. Nikola Vucevic had 22 points and 17 rebounds, and Markelle Fultz added 21 points to help the Magic win its second straight to start the season. ... Two-way rookie guard Cassius Winston (hamstring strain) was inactive but has returned to practice…UP NEXTThe Magic and Wizards will complete their back-to-back in Washington on Sunday. It is the only meeting between the two Southeast division foes in the first half of the NBA schedule release.

Deni Avdija, the ninth overall pick in the 2020 draft, scored 15 points for the Wizards. Danilo Gallinari scored 17 points and De’Andre Hunter added 15 for Atlanta, which made 17 3-pointers. Aaron Gordon scored 15 points and Nikola Vucevic had 14 for Orlando. Alec Burks finished with 15 points for New York, which defeated the Pistons on Friday. Gary Trent Jr. scored 17 points, Derrick Jones Jr. scored 15 and CJ McCollum added 13 for the Trail Blazers.

The sports channel has aired the NBA Draft for the past 18 years and it will air live looks of 17 teams' draft rooms. The most recent non-freshman to be the first overall draft pick was Oklahoma sophomore Blake Griffin in 2009 (to the Clippers). The Minnesota Timberwolves are set to make the first overall pick in the NBA Draft for the second time. The Warriors are poised to make the second overall pick in the NBA Draft for the first time in the common draft era (since 1966). The 2020 NBA Draft airs at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

As teams finalize their choices, Israel’s Deni Avdija wants to take the best version of his game to the next level. But Weaver has said they will select the best player regardless of position, possibly putting Avdija in play should he still be available. “But it’s not about me, it’s about what the team really needs and what the team really wanted me to play. “I just want to make it clear that he’s a great player,” Avdija said. And, I just want to be the best Deni Avdija I can be.”