----- Hassan Whiteside finishes with eight points, 15 rebounds, and a franchise-record 10 blocks as the Portland Trail Blazers win their third-straight game 107-103 over the Chicago Bulls Friday night at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
It was a record-setting night for Hassan Whiteside as the Portland Trail Blazers won their third-straight game with a 107-103 victory over the Chicago Bulls Friday night at Moda Center.
Whiteside set a franchise-record with 10 blocks while adding eight points and 15 rebounds including a game-clinching put back with 8.8 seconds remaining in the game.
“I told the guys, I’m insurance now. When they go up for a layup, I’m going to be there. I might not get them all, I know a lot of people want me to get every single one, but I’m going to do my best job to get a lot of them,” Whiteside said about his blocks.
Carmelo Anthony has been around a longtime and he has never seen a player do what Whiteside did against the Bulls.
“Never seen that before, and I’ve played with some great shot blockers,” Anthony said. “Tyson Chandler was a great shot blocker, Marcus Camby was a great shot blocker. I’ve never seen a guy with 10 blocks in a game.”
Damian Lillard knows the Blazers need more performances like this from Whiteside moving forward.
“I mean, he had a great, great defensive performance,” Lillard said. “I thought it was pretty much the difference in the game for us. If they didn’t change, he probably would have blocked 15. But that’s the version of him that we need to be the team that we planned on being at the start of the year.
“I think he played like he was trying to impact the game in the way that we know he can. I think it was obvious to everybody. He was blocking floaters – that's a tough shot to block and he's getting to floaters. He’s coming from the weak side, vertically. He did it in every way you could think of for a rim protector. That was big time.”
Portland (8-12) had plenty of balance on offense. Lillard led the team with 28 points, Anthony finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds, and Rodney Hood added 19 points.
The Blazers outscored the Bulls in the paint 42-40, won the rebounding battle 49-47, and finished the night with 20 assists. They have recorded 20 or more assists in nine-straight games.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers will travel to Los Angeles Monday for a meeting with the Clippers on Tuesday night at Staples Center. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 PM.
Chad's Take- Why were the Rockets so quick to get rid of Melo?