PORTLAND, Ore – Enes Kanter had 24 points and a franchise record of 30 rebounds, and the Portland Trail Blazers selected the Detroit Pistons 118-103 on Saturday night.
Kanter set Sidney Wicks’ Portland record of 27 rebounds in 1975. Every time Kanter added the record, the Blazers’ bench stood and cheered.
Kanter is the fourth player with 30 rebounds in a game in the last 20 seasons, joining Dwight Howard in 2018, Andrew Bynum in 2012 and Kevin Love in 2011. He also surpasses his own career high of 26 sets while scoring for the Knicks in 2018.
Point guard Damian Lillard had 27 points and 10 assists, and CJ McCollum added 26 points for the Blazers, who cut a two-game losing streak.
Kanter started in place of center Jusuf Nurkic, who was not available for the Blazers as it was the first game of a rugby player. Nurkic had knee swelling that kept him out of a game against the Clippers earlier this week. Blazers coach Terry Stotts said before the game that Nurkic would be available for Sunday night’s home game against Miami.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.