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History. That’s what it took to save the Toronto Raptors from a hellacious and, frankly, bizarre game against the Utah Jazz, who were heavily depleted thanks to a mix of injuries and health and safety protocols.
Nonetheless, in the third quarter, it came.
Fred VanVleet was unconscious in that frame, ripping off a 17-0 personal scoring run that saw him finish and-ones in transition, nail pull-up jumpers in the midrange, drain step-back threes, and coerce his way to the foul line through brute force. He ultimately dropped 24 in the quarter (just one point shy of Pascal Siakam’s franchise record of 25), with 20 of those points coming in the final 4:22.
“I didn’t have any [energy left], but you just keep going,” VanVleet told reporters post-game. “Just being aggressive. You gotta win by any means possible. I was thinking, ‘It was gonna be a long 36, 48 hours or whatever until Sunday if we drop that one. … I was proud of the way we responded as a team.”
But unlike many games in which a player suddenly catches fire, VanVleet didn’t simply erupt on the offensive end—no, he took complete control of the game, wresting it from the Jazz’s hands with utterly overpowering purpose. After every made bucket, he came down the floor and immediately got in his defender’s grill or made expert digs at the ball as a helper, causing myriad deflections and steals to help fuel the Raptors’ (and his) game-changing run.
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“I really thought it was the defense, to be honest with you,” VanVleet said. “Just picking up full court, trying to generate some aggressiveness. I mean, they came out and punched us right in the mouth. Give those guys credit. It got outta control there. Just trying to get the reins on it a little bit and we were able to do that. We made a run, they made a run back but it started to feel better.”
It was undeniably one of the greatest individual in-game runs in Raptors history, topped off with VanVleet recording his first career triple-double, joining the short list of the organization’s past players who’ve completed the feat. His, however—a 37-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist masterpiece—is now the highest-scoring triple-double in franchise history. Only Vince Carter (31 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) and Damon Stoudamire (30 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists) had accomplished the achievement while scoring at least 30 points prior to Friday night.
Somebody who knows a little something about triple-doubles, one Kyle Lowry, was swift to react to VanVleet’s remarkable exploit online, tweeting out that it was “About time” his protege accomplished the goal. Lowry, who has been a mentor for VanVleet since the latter entered the league, is the franchise leader in triple-doubles by a wide margin—he recorded 16 of them as a Raptor, with the next-closest being being Stoudamire with three.
“I was texting [Lowry], I was texting him,” VanVleet said with a smile. “We had a good back and forth. Shout out to Kyle. I got to learn from one of the best at getting triple-doubles, so. I don’t know if he ever had 37 while getting one—maybe I got that on him. But he’s got quite a few of them.”
As VanVleet’s season rolls on and he generates special performance after special performance, what stands out most is not just the gaudy numbers—it’s his steadfast, focused mindset. There is no boasting, no chest-puffing. Instead, VanVleet’s quiet confidence and consistently humble approach are what drive this team, and himself, forward towards success.
“I'm going to be honest,” VanVleet said, “I always think I'm the best player in the gym. Sometimes I'm right, sometimes I'm wrong, sometimes you can show it, and sometimes you don't. That's just the way I approach the game.”
