The Toronto Raptors bounced back from a loss on the weekend by beating the Atlanta Hawks 108-93 on Wednesday.
Toronto (32-14) own the rebuilding Hawks (14-33) this season, having now won their first three meetings by a combined 62 points. The Raptors have had a lot of success against weaker opponents and now have an NBA-best 19-2 record against teams currently below .500. The two teams will meet one more time this season, in March.
The Raptors also continued their strong play on the road, improving to 15-11 away from the Air Canada Centre — good for fifth best in the league.
Here are some takeaways from the latest strong road performance by the young Raptors.
Fantastic Fred
The best player on the floor for either team was undrafted sophomore Fred VanVleet.
Much of the Raptors early lead was due to the backup playmaker as VanVleet had 14 points, four rebounds, two assists, three blocks (a career high) and a perfect 3-3 success rate from three in 10 first-half minutes.
Known for his defensive intensity, VanVleet’s offensive efficiency was his most impressive trait against the Hawks. He connected on 6-9 field goals, 4-6 from three-point range for 19 points in only 19 minutes. He actually scored 19 points in 12 minutes and then took his foot off the gas, playing a supporting role while getting his teammates shots in garbage time.
After not being named in the Rising Stars game, of which the Raptors were surprisingly shut out, VanVleet showed against the Hawks why he was a great find by Dan Tolzman and the Raptors scouting staff.
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OG breaking through the rookie wall
OG Anunoby, even more than VanVleet, was the biggest snub to be left out of the Rising Star All-Star festivities.
Anunoby leads all rookies in plus-minus and has been the biggest surprise as a starting contributor for the East’s second-best team.
He could use a break, however, so missing out may benefit the 20-year-old and the Raptors in the long term. Anunoby played 50 games in two years in the NCAA at Indiana. The Raptors will have played 57 by the time the All-Star break comes around.
Anunoby had only one double digit scoring game in his last 16 before playing the Hawks. Against Atlanta he had 10 points on 4-5 shooting and was 2-3 from three-point land. He also grabbed five rebounds and had a block defensively.
Anunoby looked energized and had his legs back in his shot after the Raptors had a couple days off in between games. A week of rest in February could do the rookie some good.
Valanciunas bounces back
Remember when Jonas Valanciunas was constantly mentioned in trade talks? It’s nights like this that remind you it is too soon to give up on the talented big man.
Valanciunas controlled the paint and put up 16 points, 13 rebounds, shooting 7-14 from the field along with three assists and three blocks in just 24 minutes of playing time. He started aggressively, dominating the paint and glass, and kept it going throughout the game. His 10 points in the first quarter outscored Atlanta’s five starters, who combined for just eight.
This was the 13th double-double for Valanciunas this season and he now has three double-doubles in the last four games. The only game he didn’t was Saturday’s loss at Minnesota where he only played 11 minutes due to early foul trouble.
Valanciunas has been playing like an elite centre this season, averaging a double-double with 13.5 points, 10.4 rebounds, 58.2 per cent field goal shooting and 82.1 per cent free throw shooting over his last 10 games.
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All-Star Casey
The magic number for Dwane Casey drops to one. Casey and his staff need just one more win before the Feb. 4 deadline to be granted the honour of coaching in the NBA All-Star game. Mike D’Antoni is likely to be the opposing coach as the Rockets are second in the West.
Steve Kerr (Warriors) and Brad Stevens (Celtics) are exempt due to the “Pat Riley rule” which stipulates the same coach can’t lead their respective conference in the All-Star game in two consecutive seasons.
If Casey secures the second-best record in the East, not only will he coach a LeBron James captained team in the All-Star game but his assistants will coach in the Rising Stars challenge.
Home sweet home
With this road trip over the Raptors have just 15 road games left this season.
The Raptors also have no more road trips to the Western Conference for the rest of the season. Toronto plays seven of the next eight and 10 of the next 13 at home.
Next up are home games on Friday and Sunday against Western Conference teams with losing records in the Utah Jazz and the LA Lakers.
