Hassan Whiteside sets new Portland Trail Blazers franchise single-game record for blocks in win over Chicago Bulls
Saturday 30 November 2019 09:36, UK
Hassan Whiteside set a new franchise record for blocks in a single game as he rejected 10 shots in the Portland Trail Blazers' win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night.
The summer acquisition from the Miami Heat took just 68 seconds to register his first block of the game when he swatted away Zach LaVine's attempted floater and dominated the paint throughout the night at the Moda Center in Portland's 107-103 victory.
Whiteside's block part saw him break a franchise record shared by legendary Hall of Famer Bill Walton, Theo Ratliff, Joel Przybilla and Mychal Thompson.
"Anytime you beat a Hall of Fame record, it's special," he said.
It marked a perfect ending to a day which began as a bit of a nightmare for the 30-year-old when he noticed that someone had stolen his bins that morning.
Although he made a plea for them to be returned in his post-game interview, it didn't seem to affect him throughout the contest as Whiteside also came up big on the glass with fifteen rebounds and came just two points shy of a triple-double.
"Hassan had a hell of a game tonight," team-mate Carmelo Anthony said. "Being the anchor on the defensive end. We kind of fed off of that."
Since joining the Blazers, Whiteside has averaged 15.2 points, 12.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 16 games as the team's starting center.
When fully engaged, the 33rd pick from the 2010 draft is one of the best shot-blockers in the NBA, given that he stands 7ft tall and possesses a massive 7ft 7in wingspan.
Indeed, Whiteside owns four of the NBA's last five triple-doubles which include blocks - but the mark of 10 from Friday night still fell two shy of his career high of 12 rejections in one game.
His success around the rim was such that the Bulls' offense, which loves to attack the paint and get to the basket, was forced to adjust to counter his effectiveness.
That fact was not lost on Blazers' star man Damian Lillard.
Lillard said: "He had a great, great defensive performance. I thought it was pretty much the difference in the game for us. He came up big on the glass, rebounding out of his area and he blocked 10 shots. I think it was obvious to everybody.
"I just think his urgency and his purpose was different. I think he played like he was trying to impact the game in the way that we know he can.
"If they didn't change, he probably would have blocked 15. That's the version of him that we need to be the team that we planned on being to start the year.
"He did it in every way you could think of for a rim protector. That was big time."
