Deni Avdija and Stephon Castle got into a shoving match during Game 4 of the first-round series between the Spurs and Trail Blazers. Troy Wayrynen / Imagn Images
By The Athletic NBA Staff
April 26, 2026Updated 9:41 pm EDT
Emotions ran high during Sunday’s Game 4 first-round matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers.
Portland’s Deni Avdija called San Antonio’s Stephon Castle “disrespectful” for their late-game altercation as the Spurs secured a 114-93 win and 3-1 series lead. With 2:13 remaining, Castle got past Avdija for an and-1 basket and put the basketball into Avdija’s chest after the whistle blew. Avdija took exception to Castle’s actions and shoved him. Castle shoved Avdija back before referees and players from both teams interfered.
Stephon Castle and Deni Avdija received double techs for this sequence at the end of Spurs-Blazers Game 4. pic.twitter.com/IJx90QJlhp
— ESPN (@espn) April 26, 2026
After the game, Avdija shared his thoughts on the interaction.
“I have a lot of respect for him, but the thing at the end with shoving the ball in my chest is unnecessary,” Avdija told the media. “I don’t play those games. That’s not who I am. You can be physical, but there’s a level of disrespect I’m not going to accept. He’s done a lot of provocation throughout the whole game. At one point, it was just disrespectful.”
The altercation between Avdija and Castle put an end to a frustrating day for the Trail Blazers, who lost Game 4 by 21 points after holding a 17-point lead at halftime. Avdija had a team-high 26 points, but only six of them came in the fourth quarter, as Portland was outscored 40-19 in the final frame.
Castle scored 16 points and added a game-high eight assists to help bring the Spurs to a win away from the second round.
Apr 27, 2026
Connections: Sports Edition
Spot the pattern. Connect the terms
Find the hidden link between sports terms
Play today’s puzzle