Portland Trail Blazers big man Enes Kanter is expected to play in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Turkish center suffered a hand contusion in the first half of Game 2, but it doesn't appear to be serious:
Kanter hampered by hand injury #ripcity pic.twitter.com/ZqNUp9TNgD
— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) April 17, 2019
Kanter had five points and six rebounds in 20 minutes of action.
Despite Kanter's absence, the Blazers were still able to beat the Thunder, 114-94. The backcourt tandem of CJ McCollum (33 points, eight rebounds, five assists) and Damian Lillard (29 points, six assists, four rebounds) helped Portland build a 2-0 series lead. They will now head to OKC for Games 3 and 4.
The Blazers dodged a bullet with Kanter only suffering a mild injury. The team is already without starting center Jusuf Nurkic, who suffered a season-ending injury a few days before the playoffs, and if Kanter also had to miss a significant amount of time, Portland's rebounding and defense would surely take a major hit.
Kanter was impressive in the Blazers' Game 1 win, scoring 20 points, grabbing 18 rebounds, and blocking two shots.
The Blazers signed Enes Kanter a couple of months ago after being waived by the New York Knicks. In 23 regular-season games for Portland, the eight-year veteran averaged 13.1 points and 8.6 rebounds, helping the team lock the third seed in the Western Conference.
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