The Ringer: Blazers’ Hood & Kanter Emerge as Winners After Game 3

The thrilling finish between the Trail Blazers and Nuggets set the national media ablaze late Friday evening. The quadruple-overtime battle placed a pair of unheralded heroes in the spotlight for Portland, as both Rodney Hood and Enes Kanter played crucial roles in the Blazers’ Game 3 victory.

Hood’s evolving reputation landed him in The Ringer’s good graces. Chris Ryan had this to say about the former Cavaliers wing after the dust had settled:

Often injured and under-used in Utah, and an afterthought in LeBron’s final Cleveland season, Hood has never lived up to the hype that surrounded him heading into his career at Duke. But who needs all that when you get to be a folk hero?

Ryan went on to highlight Kanter’s blue-collar effort.

Clearly dealing with an agonizing shoulder injury and off-court issues that would distract anyone, Kanter has been the absolute best version of his basketball self on the Blazers. He played 56 minutes on Friday, with one arm, essentially guarding Wun Wun. Love him or nitpick the hell out of his defense; either way, he’s shown you can play him. You might have to.

The Blazers will look to secure a 3-1 series lead over the Nuggets when the two teams return to action on Sunday.

You can read the full post by visiting The Ringer.