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Tim BontempsESPN
Fred VanVleet set a Toronto Raptors franchise record and a record for non-drafted players by scoring 54 points in Toronto’s 123-108 win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night.
“It was just time … It is just time”, VanVleet told SportstNet in Toronto. “I missed a lot of open games this season, more than usual, but it was about time. Sometimes you get into that groove and you find that zone, and tonight I could do that and my teammates did an incredible job of finding me and for screen me and get me the ball to my spots. A lot of them were just catch-and-shoots. “
VanVleet set both records with a lay-up with 3:46 remaining in the fourth quarter, a bucket that simultaneously surpassed DeMar DeRozan’s Raptors record of 52 points, as well as Hall of Famer Moses Malone’s record of 53 points for a non- drafted player. VanVleet scored nearly half of Toronto’s points in a comfortable win.
VanVleet started quickly by scoring 17 points in the first quarter, hitting all five of his three-point tries. By half time, he reached 28 points and hit eight three-pointers. He surpassed his previous career high of 36 points in the middle of the third quarter, reaching 46 and making 11 3-pointers after three quarters.
VanVleet was unable to chase Donyell Marshall’s single-game franchise record of 12 3-pointers made or Klay Thompson’s NBA record of 14. When he returned in the fourth quarter, he made two free throws after making a drive error and then three undisputed layups to reach his record total.
He said he expected to hear from DeRozan, his former teammate, who he thought of as he got close to the record.
“It was only a matter of time,” VanVleet said with a smile to beat DeRozan. “Every time I get a 30, I usually get a text from DeMar saying I’m weak because I didn’t hit his record. So I definitely had him in mind as I approached the track.”
DeRozan took to Twitter shortly after the match to congratulate VanVleet, writing in part, “Glad you did it champion! I told you!”
VanVleet finished 17-for-23 from the field, including 11-for-14 on 3-pointers and 9-for-9 from 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 against Orlando.
Now, in his fifth season, VanVleet previously set a different kind of record for an off-season non-drafted player when he signed a four-year $ 85 million contract to stay with the Raptors, who took him out of Wichita State in 2016. the greatest for an undesigned player in NBA history.