FIRED-UP FRED: VanVleet struts stuff in leading Raptors past Philly

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The Raptors are 13 video games into an 82-game season and there are already considerations for Fred VanVleet and the way he can probably maintain the workload he’s carrying.

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VanVleet, an evening after he performed 36 minutes in a loss in Boston, got here out and gave the Raptors 40 extra on Thursday and in these 40 minutes, he put up 32 factors together with a game-securing three-pointer within the ultimate minute on a pleasant feed from OG Anunoby.

It allowed the Raptors to hold on for the 115-109 win and introduced out a aspect of VanVleet he hardly ever reveals the general public.

Usually all-business to the purpose of being virtually stoic on the courtroom whatever the pleasure occurring round him, VanVleet made his means again to the bench after his win-securing triple in a dance extra generally related to Sam Cassell. To not put too nice some extent on it, however we’ll simply say the shot took loads of bravado.

VanVleet leads the league in minutes performed, averaging 38.5 an evening. With rookie Dalano Banton backing him up and Malachi Flynn not getting any minutes in any respect lately because the third level guard on the group, the workload doesn’t appear like it’s going to return down any time quickly.

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VanVleet’s minutes have been no less than a speaking level even six video games into the season and he knew then it could be one going ahead.

“We’re not going to speak about my minutes,” VanVleet mentioned then, realizing full effectively the form of workload he faces this 12 months.

The loss the evening earlier than in Boston clearly performed into this one for all of the Raptors, VanVleet particularly.

He got here out extremely aggressively and put up 15 factors within the first quarter, holding the Raptors in a recreation the Sixers have been threatening to place away early.

“After we come out and Freddy’s getting some buckets and making performs like that, I feel that routinely offers us a lift of spirit and confidence,” Raptors head coach Nick Nurse mentioned.

VanVleet remained an element the remainder of the evening, as he virtually at all times does, however after that first quarter, the scoring load acquired turned over to a man who has not loved the form of nights many anticipated he would have loads of this 12 months.

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Coming off a career-changing season that earned him a two-year $13.5-million contract, minutes and alternative have been exhausting to return by for the Montreal-raised large man Chris Boucher.

One of many few positives to return out of a depressing 2020-21 season performed completely on the street, Boucher has not managed to construct on that success.

At the least he hadn’t till Thursday evening in Philadelphia the place the Raptors, needing a spark, turned to the man who gave them loads of lifts in a really robust 12 months a season in the past.

“Finally I needed to get in slightly groove,” Boucher defined. “It’s only a mindset. I feel the group did a great job of holding me focussed and realizing it may’t at all times go down like that. I put in a number of work in my recreation. It’s coming again.

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“I got here again from harm,” he mentioned referencing a finger harm that price him all the pre-season. “There’s a number of change, a number of positions, a number of guys who can do a number of various things on this group. I’ve simply acquired to search out my position, the place to take my pictures, and discover my confidence that I had final 12 months. I feel right this moment was a giant step for me to find that confidence once more and realizing the way in which that I’ve to play.”

Boucher got here off the bench for the Raptors and earned each one of many 24 minutes he acquired, flattening six boards, contributing 17 factors, a steal and two blocks as he picked up the scoring load from VanVleet and ran with it.

Exterior of possibly Boucher himself, nobody was happier about this than his head coach.

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“It’s actually good to see him have a great Chris Boucher-type recreation,” Nurse mentioned. “And I don’t learn all that a lot into it. I feel he most likely had what he was saying was not an excellent recreation Wednesday evening and never nice power and all types of issues however right this moment’s a brand new day and also you simply form of say, ‘man, we’re rolling you on the market. Let’s go.’ And he simply responded and I feel that’s a great signal and we’ve acquired sufficient proof or information on him to know what he’s able to to maintain rolling him again on the market and never say we’ve acquired to go some other place. So it was good to get some. You understand, we consider in him and we hold telling him that and he produced tonight. So good for him.”

With the win, the Raptors snapped a three-game dropping streak and improved to 5-1 on the street after that robust loss in Boston on Wednesday.

The group now heads residence and can tackle former Raptors head coach Dwane Casey and his Detroit Pistons on Saturday evening.

mganter@postmedia.com