Fred VanVleet made NBA history Tuesday
night when the Toronto Raptors took on the
Orlando Magic on the road in a back-to-back series. VanVleet came out with a spectacular
performance, scoring a franchise best 54. This match was a phenomenal roller coaster of emotions as Raptors fans watched the game
unfold.
On Tuesday night, the Raptors got
ready to play the Magic without knowing
what was about to happen. During the opening
of the match, Toronto seemed lost as
they were on a 0-11 deficit, when just then,
VanVleet hit a 3-point shot to break
Orlando’s run. They had a strong quarter as
VanVleet hit 5 three-pointers and alongside
the rest of the team's performance, the
Raptors led by 2 (33-31) at the end of the first. During the second quarter, the Raptors and the
Magic went back and forth in a fairly close game until the end of the 3rd where the
game got intense.
Down the stretch, all the Raptors played incredibly with 4 players having double-digit scoring and all-star Kyle Lowry having a triple-double(14 points 10 assists and 10 rebounds). Both teams were neck and neck all game until the last 5 minutes of the 3rd quarter. The game was tied at 77 just when VanVleet hit a deep 3 to get the momentum rolling. They continued to play at a great level and went on to get a 12-point lead. When the 4th came around, VanVleet made an easy wide-open layup to reach the 50! That accomplishment is rarely seen in the NBA and he gave a show to all fans. VanVleet broke many records that night such as franchise record for most points, most 3 pointers scored in franchise history, and the record for best pure scoring percentage. He also is the first player in NBA history with 50+ points, 10+ threes on 70/70% shooting in a game. Additionally, he joins Michael Jordan (3 times), Hakeem Olajuwon, Dirk Nowitzki, and Anthony Davis to have 50+ Points, 3+ Steals, 3+ blocks in a game since ‘83-84.
Almost all the players on the list are Hall of Famers. VanVleet finished the night off with 54 points, a franchise record, surpassing DeMar DeRozan's 52; and made NBA history as he surpassed Moses Malone’s 53 points, the most by an undrafted NBA player. He broke all these records at only 26! Most players could never score that much in their entire career. VanVleet’s performance also broke the scale, achieving an astonishing 100.1%
true shooting percentage (the most by an NBA player) according to @sportinfo247 on Twitter. You do the math, and you’ll see that these numbers don’t lie. VanVleet holds the record for true shooting percentage in a 50+ point game and probably will for the rest of time. VanVleet’s game will be remembered by all Raptors fans for being a monumental game like Kawhi Leonard’s buzzer-beater against the 76s.
In this postgame interview, VanVleet talks about what got him going, what was working for him
and speaks on his historical, record-breaking night as well!
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