Fred Vanvleet Sparkles for The Raptors to Dismantle the Knicks 120-105
Fred Vanvleet delivered a brilliant 35-point performance while Pascal Siakam chipped in with 20 points and 14 rebounds as the Toronto Raptors stormed out the game and never looked back to win wire to wire against a depleted New York Knicks. The Knicks were missing starters Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, Nerlens Noel due to the Covid protocol, and Kemba Walker had to sit out due to a sore knee injury. The Raptors can sympathize with the New York Knicks on how the pandemic can decimate a roster to the point where there are not enough bodies to compete. On December 26, the team played a game without ten players in the Covid Protocol. The Raptors showed no mercy as they should by dominating on offense and defense.
Game Highlights
Fred Vanvleet scored the first 5 points to set the tone early in the contest as the Raptors raced to an early 17-6 lead. OG Anunoby was aggressive on both ends of the floor and scored five early points. Tom Thibadeau then took a timeout and got his boys motivated. It led them to claw back into the game to end the quarter based on the play of Alec Burks who showed his ability to shoot from outside and attack the rim to push the Knicks to only a 30-27 deficit after a quarter.
The Raptors then hammered the Knicks to start the second quarter with Anunoby leading the way with a step-back three and a steal followed by an easy layup. It propelled the Raptors to go on a 15-1 run to start the period and lead 45-28. After another Knicks timeout, Thibadeau’s team showed their peskiness behind some good play from R.J. Barrett to keep the game close at the half 56-45.
In the third quarter, the Knicks showed more fight, and when Evan Fournier nailed a three-pointer it pulled them to only a 9-point deficit at 69-60. However, the Raptors ended the quarter on a 27-14 run that blew the game wide open. A highlight of the run was the play of Scottie Barnes who nailed back-to-back three-pointers. Also, point guard Fred Vanvleet played like the All-Star caliber player by scoring 19 points in the third quarter by staying hot with the three-ball and setting up his teammates.
The third quarter had effectively decided the game and made the fourth quarter a time for the starters to rest and give minutes to the players on the bench. The 15-point margin is deceiving and even flattering because the game was one-sided, and the Raptors took care of business to move closer to .500.
Player of the Game
Fred Vanvleet easily won this award because his 35 points was a season-high, and he dished five assists and collected five rebounds in just 31 minutes. Vanvleet went 11 for 17 from the field and made a season-high 7 of his 13 attempts from 3-point range. He was also a perfect 6 of 6 from the free-throw line. Fred has emerged as a leader in this team, and a top ten level caliber point guard due to his ability to shoot, pass, hustle and grind opponents.
Interviews
Fred was happy with the team’s performance after the game and how they project for the rest of the season. He stated, “I thought we were pretty locked in for most of the game. This is kind of where you want to be. We’ve just got to continue to get better individually and collectively. I think we’ll be a tough team to beat if we can keep growing towards the end of the year.”
Scottie Barnes was happy to be back on the court after leaving protocols. He stated, “I felt pretty good out there. I really had my wind. I wasn’t so tired.”
Takeaway
When healthy, this performance by the Raptors is an indication of the team’s potential, and if they make the playoffs they can cause problems for a top team. The team has tremendous length and athletism with wings like Siakam, Anunoby, Barnes, and Boucher. The experience and skill of Nick Nurse coupled with the toughness of Vanvleet will make this team dangerous down the stretch.
If we were to nitpick on this performance, Pascal Siakam had six turnovers which he needs to clean up for this team to challenge. Also, a sign of a good team is the number of assists they generate in sharing the basketball. The Raptors won the game but the Knicks led them in assists in 22-21. The team averages 21.6 assists per game which ranks 27th in the league. The stat should improve with continuity on the court but contending for the playoffs would mean they need to rise to the top 10-15 on the chart.
Up next
The Raptors conclude the three-game homestand when they host the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday at 7 pm.