Toronto Raptors: Top five performances from a perfect week 14

4. Fred VanVleet

Opponent: Philadelphia 76ers

Stat line: 22 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal

This was the first time since the infamous Kawhi Leonard buzzer-beater that the Philadelphia 76ers were playing in Toronto, so it was clear that they were out for revenge and it was up to the Raptors to show Philadelphia that they still can contend with the Sixers in a post-Kawhi world. Keep in mind, Toronto still has Fred VanVleet…

The Raptors got off to a slow start in this one while Philly was hitting every shot they threw up. VanVleet was unable to produce anything in the first quarter, outside of two assists, and Toronto was down 11 points heading into the second. Luckily for VanVleet, he was able to shake off a poor start and picked it up in the second quarter, finishing with seven points, two rebounds, one assist and a steal to help Toronto cut its deficit at halftime to two.

The Raptors and VanVleet came out strong in the third quarter and found themselves up two, heading into the fourth quarter. VanVleet pitched in six points, two rebounds and four assists in the third. With all the momentum on their side, the Raptors pulled away from the 76ers over the final 12 minutes, winning the game by 11 points on the strength of VanVleet’s nine-point final quarter.

What was the most impressive about FVV’s performance was his three-point shooting. VanVleet was able to hit a blistering 86% of his triples, something not many people can accomplish. You can bet on him being a highly sought after free agent this coming offseason.