-
Tim BontempsESPN
Fred VanVleet set a Toronto Raptors franchise record and a record for unselected players by scoring 54 points in Toronto’s 123-108 victory over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night.
“It was the time … It is the right time,” VanVleet told SportstNet in Toronto. “I have lost a lot of openings this season, more than usual, but it was time. Sometimes you get into that rhythm and find that area, and tonight I was able to do that and my teammates did an unbelievable job to find me and do the sorting for me and put the ball in my seats. Many of them were just catches and pitches. “
VanVleet set the two records with a layup with 3:46 remaining in the fourth period, a bucket that simultaneously surpassed DeMar DeRozan’s Raptors’ record of 52 points, as well as the Hall of Fame record of 53 points for a non-player. trained. VanVleet scored almost half of Toronto’s points in a comfortable win.
VanVleet started quickly by scoring 17 points in the first quarter, hitting all five attempts at 3 points. In the break, he reached 28 points, hitting eight points out of 3. He broke his previous career record of 36 points in the middle of the third quarter, reaching 46 and 11 points out of 3 points after three quarters.
VanVleet was unable to chase Donyell Marshall’s single game franchise record of 12 3 points made or Klay Thompson’s NBA record of 14. When he returned in the fourth period, he hit two free throws after missing a drive and then he hit three indisputable layups to reach his total record.
He said he hoped to hear DeRozan, his former teammate, whom he said he was thinking about as he approached the record.
“It was just a matter of time,” said VanVleet, with a smile, about overcoming DeRozan’s mark. “Whenever I get a 30, I usually get a message from DeMar saying that I am weak from not passing his record. So I definitely had it in mind when I approached.”
DeRozan accessed Twitter right after the game to congratulate VanVleet, writing in part: “I’m glad you were a champion! I’ve been telling you!”
VanVleet finished 17 of 23 on the field, including 11 on 14 on 3 points, and 9 on 9 on the free-throw line. He also had 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks in 37 minutes for Toronto, which swept a set of two games with Orlando.
Now in his fifth season, VanVleet previously set a different kind of record for an unskilled player this season when he signed a four-year, $ 85 million contract to remain with the Raptors, who pulled him out of Wichita in 2016. The contract was the largest for an unsigned player in NBA history.