Tiago Splitter still imperious in play-in

Published on April 15, 2026

This Wednesday morning, the Portland Trail Blazers, coached by our former coach Tiago Splitter, qualified for the NBA playoffs following their play-in victory (114-110). A scenario reminiscent of our win against Real Madrid a year earlier (81-73) !

Wherever Tiago goes, Tiago wins! Head coach of Paris Basketball during our 2024-2025 season, the Brazilian coach took over in Portland this summer. Promoted to head coach at the end of October, he has been racking up accomplishments across the Atlantic, culminating in this play-in triumph.

There’s only a small step between Phoenix and Madrid. Two games separated by 365 days with many similarities. Both Portland and Paris approached this away game as underdogs. The eighth-place finishers in the regular season were playing for their playoff berth in a single-elimination match against Real Madrid and the Suns, respectively.

Just like in our game on April 15, 2025, the Blazers started strong. Dominating defensively in the paint, Tiago Splitter’s men quickly built a ten-point lead, which they maintained until halftime. But like Real Madrid, the Phoenix Suns staged a remarkable comeback in the third quarter. With the game in crunch time, Deni Avdija made the difference, just as Nadir Hifi had done previously, ultimately securing the victory (114-110).

A beautiful twist of fate from the basketball gods.

Now, Paris Basketball wishes Tiago Splitter all the best with the Portland Trail Blazers !