Enes Kanter made Portland Trail Blazers history with a record-setting night on the boards.
Simply put, Enes Kanter was absolutely unstoppable on the boards Saturday night.
Finishing with a staggering 30 rebounds, Kanter made history both for himself and the Portland Trail Blazers in the team’s 118-103 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
Not only was it Kanter’s personal career best on the glass, but it was also a franchise record for Rip City, surpassing Sidney Wicks’ previous record of 27 rebounds. According to Stat Muse, the 28-year-old big man joined Dwight Howard (2018), Andrew Bynum (2012) and Kevin Love (2010) as the only players to record 30-plus rebounds in a game since 2000.
Enes Kanter was a monster on the boards for the Blazers
It was a career night for Kanter, who gobbled up 18 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive boards on the night. Those offensive rebounds were key for Portland in the matchup with Detroit, as the Blazers’ 14 offensive boards led to a whopping 35 second-chance points.
Rip City out-rebounded the Pistons 49-38 overall, which means Kanter’s 30 rebounds nearly matched Detroit’s output as a team.
For good measure, Kanter also added in 24 points and 2 blocks, shooting 9-for-16 from the field and 6-for-8 from the free-throw line. Filling in for an injured Jusuf Nurkic, Kanter proved he’s more than capable of starting … especially against bottom-of-the-barrel teams like the Pistons.
On the season, Kanter is averaging 12.2 points and 12.0 rebounds in just 26.7 minutes per game. His defensive flaws for the NBA‘s second-worst defense are glaring, but that issue extends far beyond just him.
In fact, Kanter has been quite productive in a starting role with Nurkic battling injuries. In 32 starts, he’s averaged 13.4 points and 13.4 rebounds per game, shooting 59.1 percent from the field and posting a plus/minus of plus-3.2. The Blazers will be happy to (hopefully) have a healthy Nurkic back for the playoffs, but for the time being, Kanter’s insane productivity in limited minutes is getting the job done.