Kanter pulls down 30 rebounds as Blazers beat Pistons
FILE – Enes Kanter #11 of the Portland Trail Blazers reacts after a play against the Brooklyn Nets during the fourth quarter at Moda Center on March 23, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. Steph Chambers/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Steph Chambers / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Enes Kanter set a franchise record with an NBA season-best 30 rebounds and also scored 24 points to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 118-103 victory over the visiting Detroit Pistons on Saturday night.
Kanter, who also set a career-high for his board work, broke the Portland mark set by four-time All-Star Sidney Wicks on Feb. 26, 1975, against the Los Angeles Lakers. Kanter also set a franchise mark with 12 offensive rebounds.
💪 @EnesKanter records the 3rd 20+ point/30+ rebound game in the last 20 years!
24 PTS | 30 REB (franchise-record) | @trailblazers W pic.twitter.com/C29bhQo0iw
— NBA (@NBA) April 11, 2021
Damian Lillard recorded 27 points and 10 rebounds, and CJ McCollum scored 26 points for Portland. Carmelo Anthony and Nassir Little added 11 points apiece for the Trail Blazers.
Josh Jackson matched his career-high of five 3-pointers while scoring 21 points for the Pistons, who played without leading scorer Jerami Grant (knee) for the second straight game.
Frank Jackson added 17 points, Saddiq Bey scored 14 and Sekou Doumbouya had 11 points for Detroit, which is 2-2 on a five-game road trip.
Kanter collected his 27th rebound with 3:38 left to set a career-best and match Wicks’ record, and he put the ball in the basket one second later. He grabbed a defensive board with 3:20 remaining to set the franchise mark.
Kanter is the first NBA player to collect 30 rebounds in a game since Dwight Howard had 30 for the Charlotte Hornets against the Brooklyn Nets on March 21, 2018.
Kanter’s big night came as fellow big man Jusuf Nurkic (knee) sat out for Portland, which shot 47.8 percent from the field and 13 of 29 from 3-point range.
The Pistons made 44.6 percent of their shots, including 9 of 26 from behind the arc.
Kanter had 16 rebounds in the first half to help Portland hold a 59-50 lead at the break.
The Trail Blazers used a 19-4 surge over a 3 1/2-minute portion of the first and second quarters to open up a 41-25 lead. Detroit pulled within 51-50 on Mason Plumlee’s basket with 3:22 left before Portland scored the final eight points of the half.
Josh Jackson scored the first basket of the third quarter before the Trail Blazers rattled off eight straight to take a 67-52 lead.
Lillard’s 3-pointer with 34 seconds left in the stanza gave Portland a 95-76 advantage.
Anthony’s three-point play pushed the Trail Blazers’ lead to 103-79 with 9:29 remaining in the game. The only suspense remaining was whether Kanter would break the franchise mark that stood for 46 years.
