Sorry, Jonas Valanciunas, but your ankle sprain also did damage to your legacy. That Toronto Raptors postseason record you set for rebounds in a game on April 16? Deuces.
Bismack Biyombo broke Valanciunas’ month-old record by hauling in 26 rebounds in Game 3 against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday.
On-brand, Biyombo also had zero points on 0-of-2 shooting at one point, adding four blocks and one very awesome non-block on LeBron James he was whistled for a foul. Biyombo was going full Rodman/Evans with the 0-20, passing Tree Rollins (16) for the most rebounds in a scoreless postseason game. That was, assuming he remained scoreless – he did most of this before the end of the third quarter.
UPDATE: Nevermind, Biyombo scored after getting fouled on his 20th rebound. Damn.
UPDATE 2: Biyombo finished with seven points, 26 rebounds, four blocks, and a plus-12 rating in the win.
Previously, Valanciunas grabbed 18 boards back in Game 1 of the team’s 2014 series against the Brooklyn Nets, the Lithuanian’s first career playoff game. That topped Keon Clark’s then-record 16 rebounds from 2002. The Raptors’ playoff record book isn’t exactly full of stiff competition – four players on the current roster have long-since passed the team record for games played, for example, and the current team now owns most career records – but it’s impressive nonetheless.
In terms of league-wide records, the most rebounds in a playoff game is Wilt Chamberlain’s 41 in 1967, and the most offensive rebounds is Moses Malone’s 15 in 1977 (Biyombo only has five of those). Since 1984, no player has topped 26 rebounds in a playoff game, a feat both Dwight Howard and Hakeem Olajuwon managed once.
The Raptors’ franchise record for rebounds in any game is also 25, also set by Biyombo earlier this year.
