From Jamaal Magloire on Instagram: postgame celebration for Fred VanVleet in the Raptors locker room pic.twitter.com/tzC7Ivdw6K
— Eric Smith (@Eric__Smith) February 3, 2021
Fred VanVleet scores Raptors franchise-record 54 points – The Athletic
It is often difficult to know you’re in one of those instances until records start falling. Tuesday wasn’t like that. Something special was brewing early for VanVleet, and because his entire life has been defined by doing things that weren’t expected of him, VanVleet carries with him an air that anything is possible in a given moment. From just making the NBA to carving out a role on a championship team to becoming the highest-paid undrafted player in league history, VanVleet’s constant bets on himself have come against long table odds. At a certain point with him — probably in the 2019 Eastern Conference finals, and now if you haven’t already — you just have to believe.
And so when the 3s started dropping early, everyone took notice. It’s not exactly a secret that VanVleet can get hot, pushing the limits of hot-hand theory dogma against the Milwaukee Bucks or swinging games with quick outbursts from long range. Quirky mechanics aside, VanVleet can find a zone if an opponent lets him. The Magic were all too willing.
The splashes came quickly. After a rough start to the game, the Raptors got running, and VanVleet was the finisher on a smooth transition triple to cap a big run and send the Magic to a regrouping timeout. Their defence adjusted, VanVleet frustrated them with an end-of-clock 3 to save a possession. After Ross tried to settle Orlando with a 3 of his own, VanVleet responded again. And when a lob attempt to Chris Boucher was tipped out of bounds, VanVleet used the ensuing inbound play and a hard screen from Aron Baynes to hit another triple from the corner. For good measure, he dropped a deep pull-up at the end of the quarter to tie the game and give himself 17 points in the frame.
“I thought early on that the ball was coming off his hands so easily,” coach Nick Nurse said. “The deep shots just look like hardly any effort. So there was something there that was just making them fly off so comfortable. Like, wherever he shot it from, it seemed like it was about a free throw line attempt, effortwise.”
“It was like, levels to it,” VanVleet said. “It was kind of going in phases. I knew after my first shot went in that I was going to shoot the ball well. … My teammates did a great job of finding me and screening for me. Once I hit the fifth one, I think I had five in the first quarter or something like that, I knew it would be a good night for me.”
This is the point when, in the modern era, NBA Twitter starts to take notice. It might be an eyebrow raise at VanVleet nearing his season scoring average in just a quarter. Oh, it’s the short-handed Magic. He’ll cool off. But let’s keep an eye on the box score.
Those who did saw that the cool-off period wasn’t coming. By halftime, he’d set a personal best and broken the Raptors record for 3s in a half with eight, missing just one. It was time to dust off the Legend of Donyell Marshall and his 12 3-pointer game, putting the record firmly on watch. Even Klay Thompson’s 14 3s, an NBA record, were in reach, if unlikely. If nothing else, this year’s season high of 10 was in danger. The second half would be must-see.
10 things: Fred VanVleet just couldn’t miss on record-setting night – Yahoo!
Three — Wet: The bulk of VanVleet’s scoring came from beyond the arc. He already made eight threes by halftime following an explosive 17-point first quarter, and he poured it on with another 18 in the third quarter. It was comical to see the Magic constantly lose track of VanVleet, but again it wasn’t as if VanVleet was jacking up 40-footers like Stephen Curry or Damian Lillard. Instead, the Magic stuck to their plan of loading up in the paint and sending double teams at every drive and on Pascal Siakam’s post-ups, so there were plenty of good looks from three. Of his 11 triples, 10 were assisted catch-and-shoot opportunities with the majority being wide open. There was even one regrettable play where DeAndre’ Bembry missed VanVleet wide open in the corner that would have made it a full dozen. A lot of it was good execution and great screening by the Raptors, but the Magic should be embarrassed in their next film session.
VanVleet makes Raptors history in signature all-hustle, all-heart fashion – Sportsnet
No one was happier than Lowry, who readily sheds his old curmudgeon act when he gets a chance to celebrate his younger teammates, no one more than VanVleet, who Lowry took under his wing as a rookie and who the 34-year-old, 15-year veteran looks upon like family.
“Y’all know how I feel about him,” said Lowry, who didn’t want to talk about his 15th Raptors triple double, extending his own franchise record. “That’s my little brother, man, and I’m proud of him. … Tonight is really special, because it came from a kid who was undrafted, worked his way to an NBA player, and an NBA starter, and possibly this year an All-Star and possibly an All-Defensive Player. That’s what makes it really special.”
There can’t be a basketball fan on the planet who wasn’t happy to see it. Failing to appreciate VanVleet is a failure to appreciate the good that sports can be. By NBA standards he lacks height (he’s barely six-feet) and explosiveness (he’s never dunked in an NBA game), or even the long arms or big hands that allow some smaller player to play bigger than their measurements. Because of his perceived shortcomings, he has been doubted at every stop of his career.
But VanVleet never paid any attention, and when he was rewarded with an $85-million contract over four years this past off-season — the largest ever given to an undrafted player — he deserved it. And as he is on his way to another career season, it’s now looking like the Raptors should have paid him more.
The much-needed win improved the Raptors’ record to 9-12 as they start a stretch of six straight on the road and nine of their 10 away from their temporary Tampa home while just one game out of a playoff spot.
It was a game the Raptors shouldn’t have needed VanVleet’s heroics to win, but the way it unfolded may have been hard-pressed to do without.
The Magic are in a tough way. With Aaron Gordon spraining his ankle the Magic were without three starters and at least two more key rotation players, a big reason why they had lost 11 of their past 13 games. Those that are healthy have been piling up the minutes and if the Magic were looking ahead it was to a couple of days off coming up
The Magic couldn’t contain the Raptors three-point shooting as Kyle Lowry and VanVleet answered with back-to-back threes that sparked a 15-0 run, giving the Raptors an 89-77 lead with 3:37 left in the third.
VanVleet soon added a pair of layups, scoring 18 points in the third to finish with 46 points through three quarters, including an NBA season-high 11 three-pointers, the most ever in a single game by a Magic opponent. The Raptors led 96-82 heading into the fourth.
The Magic didn’t get within single digits in the fourth. Only reason to continue watching at that stage was to see if VanVleet would hit the 50-point mark and/or break the NBA single-game three-point record of 14 set by Klay Thompson. VanVleet hit 50 on a layup with five minutes remaining, and then was gifted another two points after a Magic turnover.
VanVleet , whose previous single-game highs were 36 points and 7 made threes, finished with a Raptors franchise record 54 points, the most ever by an undrafted player (surpassing Moses Malone’s 53 points), on 17-for-23 shooting, including 11 of 14 from three.
VanVleet made all nine of his free throw attempts, helping the Raptors take a big advantage over the Magic in the category (23-for-25 for the Raptors, 12-for-14 for the Magic). Toronto scored 36 points off 17 Magic turnovers.
Fournier and Vucevic finished with 21 each to lead the Magic. Anthony finished with 16 points and 7 rebounds. Dwayne Bacon added 15 points off the bench for the Magic, who shot 46% and hit 14 of 38 three-point attempts. Okeke was held scoreless in the second half, finishing with 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting in 18 minutes. Jordan Bone had 3 points and 4 assists in 17 minutes as he took on more ball-handling responsibility in the absence of Aaron Gordon.
The loss was the fourth straight for the Magic, who have now dropped 12 of their last 14 games to fall to 8-14. The Magic now welcome the Bulls to town for a back-to-back before heading out on a West Coast trip.
Orlando Magic Grades: Toronto Raptors 123, Orlando Magic 108 – Orlando Magic Daily
VanVleet hit eight 3-pointers in the first half and 11 for the game. He scored a franchise-record 54 points in disturbingly easy fashion. He was driving freely through the lane and finishing at the rim against a Magic defense that was visibly growing more frustrated with each passing moment.
The Raptors turned a close game into a rout once again, running away for a 123-108 victory at the Amway Center on Tuesday.
The Magic could certainly claim they succumbed to a stellar night from a hot player. But that would be an excuse for mistakes the Magic made themselves throughout the game.
Orlando put itself in the bonus with seven minutes left in the third quarter, fouling Toronto excessively after coaches told the team to limit fouls at the halftime break. The Raptors made 23 of 25 from the line.
Toronto also took advantage of every mistake Orlando made. The Raptors forced 17 turnovers and scored 36 points off turnovers. Some of those were certainly because players were put in unfamiliar roles. Evan Fournier had more than a few as he tried to force some offense and movement.
But there were plenty more where the team misread traps or did not provide help as they tried to attack the paint recklessly. The Magic were not making the simple passes.
And worse still, they were struggling to communicate and get back. Toronto had 29 fast-break points. The Magic were simply slow to get back and at times seemed to give up or give in to frustration again.
Yes, VanVleet played a superb game. But the Magic took themselves out of this game with mistakes they easily could have prevented.
Recap: VanVleet breaks franchise record with 54, Raptors beat Magic 123-108 – Raptors HQ
It wasn’t all roses for the Raptors on Tuesday, though. The Magic opened the game on an 11-0 run, with the Raptors scoring their first basket over three minutes in (a Fred VanVleet three, duh). After a 14-5 Orlando start forced an early Nick Nurse timeout, Toronto’s starters responded well — going on a 14-5 run of their own, punctuated by an enormous Aron Baynes dunk set up by Lowry.
Fred took it from there, hitting back-to-back threes to put Toronto up 20-18, then finishing the quarter with 17 before taking his first rest.
Lowry started the second running the show with the second unit, as a lineup with DeAndre Bembry and Yuta Watanabe gave some returns on the offensive end of the floor. Unfortunately, miscues and poor placement by Terence Davis and Chris Boucher allowed the Magic to work their own offense, and the quarter was mostly a wash.
The combination of Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic, in particular, bounced back from a lacklustre Sunday game for the Magic — each would score 21 points to lead their team.
Down four after halftime, the Magic came out with a run again to start the third quarter, but just couldn’t sustain when the Raptors went to their bench — while keeping VanVleet on the floor. The same issues presented themselves in the second unit on defense, sure, but Fred’s shooting just overwhelmed Orlando. It also felt like the Raptors had active hands on every 50-50 ball, totalling 14 steals to just four for the Magic.
With a double-digit lead heading into the final six minutes, the game simply came down to Fred running up his points total. He couldn’t shake free for a three-pointer after the third quarter, but got a couple transition layups and some free throws to inch past the old Raptors record, held previously by DeMar DeRozan’s 52.
After the game, VanVleet spoke to passing his former teammate.
Fred VanVleet’s historic night could give the Toronto Raptors the spark they need – TSN.ca
In most cases, when a player is having the game of their life offensively and seeing the ball go through the rim as much as VanVleet did on Tuesday, you might expect them to come down and jack up as many shots as the 48-minute window will allow. Some would mail it in defensively, thinking only of where their next three might come from.
However, the 26-year-old needed just 23 field goal attempts, hitting 17 of them. He drained 11 of his 14 three-point tries – tied for the seventh-most any NBA player has ever made in a game, and coming one shy of Donyell Marshall’s team record – and he knocked down all nine of his free throws. No player has ever reached the 50-point plateau with a higher true shooting percentage (100.1). In other words, you probably won’t see a more efficient offensive display.
“It was easy,” VanVleet said. “No disrespect to the Magic, but I mean for most of those I was open. They were in rhythm. They were clean looks. They were within the offense. That’s why I was able to remain patient and still pass out of double teams and not take bad shots, because of the way I got all my points.”
As well as he shot the ball, and as much as he scored, he almost certainly expended more energy on the defensive end, where he recorded three steals and three blocks and continued to make his case as one of the league’s best two-way guards.
Effort plays like the strip steal on Ross to end the third quarter have become a regular part of VanVleet’s game. Even if the jumper isn’t falling, like when he shot 1-for-7 from long range in the first of two wins over Orlando this week, Toronto can still bank on him making an impact defensively. On nights like this, his boundless energy and effort just make the offensive output that much more impressive.
“It’s his makeup, it’s his character, that’s the way he plays,” said Nick Nurse, who’s team improved to 9-12 with the win. “I think of all the guys on the team this year, he’s been ready and he’s played both ends and he’s played solidly almost every night out. It’s how he plays. It’s a credit to him and it’s awesome he plays that way, for sure.”
“He’s a winner, simple as that,” said , who quietly recorded his 15th triple-double as a member of the Raptors on Tuesday, with his 10th assist setting VanVleet up for his record-breaking bucket. “He wants to win, and he wants to help his team win at the highest of levels. That’s how he’s been special. He’s been a guy that just plays hard and does whatever it takes to win basketball games.”
As VanVleet was finishing up his post-game interview on the team broadcast, Lowry and the rest of the Raptors’ players were waiting by the door in the visitor’s locker room at Amway Center. When he walked in they showered him with water bottles. Lowry, a mentor to VanVleet from his rookie season in Toronto, was the first to give him a hug and would present him with the game ball.
Fred-hot VanVleet scores Raptors-record 54 points in win over Magic | The Star
It sounds inconceivable but VanVleet’s record scoring night felt an awful lot like just another game. Nothing forced. Nothing pressed. No highlight reel stretches of total domination. Just a wonderful, amazing, fun evening.
“He legit was like, ‘Yo, y’all, keep playing, we just got to keep playing,’ and the way we were playing tonight everybody was looking for theirs, and it wasn’t forced to him,” Lowry said. ”Everything was in rhythm and in the flow of the game.”
“No disrespect to the Magic but I mean, for most of those I was open, (the shots) were in rhythm,” VanVleet said. “They were clean looks. They were within the offence.
“I even told the guys, ‘You guys keep playing.’ I could feel them start to look for me to the point where they weren’t looking at the rim any more. I wanted to win more than I wanted 50 points. (I was) just trying to continue to play with a pure heart and let the game come to me, and I was rewarded for that.”
DeRozan was one of the first to reach out to VanVleet with a private FaceTime conversation immediately after the game. The former record-holder also offered congratulations on Twitter: “Congrats to my brotha Freddy V!”
VanVleet said that, in his chat with DeRozan, he was reminded he “was gonna get cussed out if I didn’t beat his record.”
“We’ve had that conversation a few times when I’ve had big games and I’ve had a chance to go for it.” VanVleet said. “In the past I’ve kind of shied away from being thirsty, so tonight, I just tried to keep my foot on the gas a little bit more.”
VanVleet’s 11 threes were the most by a player in the NBA this season and his eight makes in the first half were the most in Raptors history. He finished one off Donyell Marshall’s team record of 12 for a game.
Josh Lewenberg discusses Fred VanVleet’s dazzling 54-point performance, and sheds light on the moment he knew the Raptors guard was feeling it against the Magic. Lewenberg also explains how special the feat was considering VanVleet’s dominant night on the defensive end.
Fred VanVleet’s record-setting 54-point night keys Raptors win | Toronto Sun
DeMar DeRozan owned the previous franchise mark for points in a game with 52, set more than three years ago, against the Bucks.
VanVleet had 46 points and 11 three-pointers through three quarters before getting a rest the first four minutes of the fourth. He returned to the game with 8:02 remaining.
VanVleet went to the free-throw line for two to reach 48 with 5:52 to go.
He reached 50 on his easiest basket of the night the next time down as Kyle Lowry found him gliding to the basket inexplicably unguarded.
He tied DeRozan’s record after picking off a Cole Anthony pass and going in for another easy layup.
VanVleet then set the record again on another nice inside feed from Lowry with just under four minutes to go in the game.
With the Raps up 18, the starters headed for the bench. VanVleet and his record 54 points, and Lowry and his triple-double and the rest of the heavy minutes, took a much-deserved rest.
With the win, the Raptors improved to 9-12 this season.
OG Anunoby has become the backbone of the Toronto Raptors – Raptors HQ
Anunoby was known for his defense coming out of the NBA Draft and he’s improved on it every year since entering the league. His strength and 7-foot-1 wingspan give him the versatility to guard positions one through five. He also is a great off-ball defender, with the awareness to get into passing lanes and disrupt play. Anunoby currently ranks second in steals with 2.1 per game (career-high) and seventh in deflections with 3.5 per game.
Anunoby is a pivotal piece of the Raptors defense. When Anunoby is in the lineup, they allow 13 fewer points per 100 possessions, a number that ranks him at the 95th percentile of all players. Toronto becomes a top-four defense in the league when he’s playing and the worst in the league when he’s off. Opposing teams shoot an effective field goal rate of 5.4 percent worse when OG is on, and that includes an astonishing 7.5 percent worse at the rim.
Anunoby’s on/off stats alone display how important he is to the team and that he should be in real consideration for an All-Defensive team. Last year his on/off stats didn’t pop out as much because of how good the Raptors’ team was with Marc Gasol in the lineup. But with Anunoby being far and away the team’s best and most consistent defender, his impact is far more noticeable.
But really, there was never any doubt on Anunoby’s ceiling as a defender. The question marks surrounding him were always about how much he could develop his offensive game. In this, Anunoby has shown incremental improvement throughout his first three seasons, but this year — after a cold start — he has taken a bigger jump than usual.
