Toronto Raptors: Top 5 performances from week 10

2. Fred VanVleet

Opponent: Boston Celtics

Stat line: 27 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals

While this wasn’t the first Christmas game the Toronto Raptors have played, it is the first Christmas game hosted by Canada. It was a special game and one that the Raptors desperately wished they were healthy for. Against a strong Boston Celtics team, it was going to take a heroic performance from the entire team to get the win.

Unfortunately, VanVleet and the Raptors struggled mightily in the first quarter as he only tallied one assist and a steal as the Raptors were down by nine points heading into the second quarter. VanVleet refused to let that poor quarter get to him however as he was able to score 10 points to go along with a steal and an assist, but the Raptors were still down eight heading into halftime.

The Raptors sadly did not get that same level of production in the second half as they did in Indiana as it was just an off night for the team as a whole. However, that did not stop VanVleet from making a name for himself on national TV. He finished the third quarter with five points and three assists and ended the fourth quarter with an impressive 12 points and one assist as the Raptors lost by 16 points.

One aspect of VanVleet’s game that has seriously impressed and surprised everyone is his contributions on the defensive end. It is often tough for smaller players to play defense but VanVleet has found a way to contribute with enormously high steal numbers. He is now averaging 2.1 steals per game on the season and shows no signs of slowing down.