Enes Kanter’s name filled in injury-riddled Portland’s starting lineup for much of his time there. Now, it’s etched forever in the franchise’s record books as well.
The veteran big man amassed an all-time team record 30 rebounds in the Blazers’ 118-103 win over Detroit on Saturday, besting the previous mark of 27 rebounds set by Sidney Wicks in 1975. The effort is also a personal best for Kanter, who is averaging 12.0 rebounds — fourth-most in the league — in just 26.7 minutes per game this season.
THIRTY REBOUNDS
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) April 11, 2021
With his 24 points, Kanter also becomes just the third player in the last 20 years to register a 20-point, 30-rebound performance. The others were Dwight Howard with the Charlotte Hornets in 2018 and Kevin Love with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2010.
Kanter battled for 12 of his 30 rebounds on the offensive glass, where he ranks second in the league in offensive boards per contest.
The third overall pick of the 2011 Draft, Kanter has helped Portland survive a multitude of injuries this season and stay well within the Western Conference playoff race. Saturday’s victory pulled the Blazers to within 1.5 games of the fifth-place Los Angeles Lakers.
The top six teams in each conference automatically qualify for the postseason, while teams placed seventh through 10th will participate in the Play-In Tournament to determine the final two playoff spots in each conference.