Mar 31, 2018; Boston, MA, USA; Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet (23) and guard DeMar DeRozan (10) leave the court after their 110-99 loss to the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Fred VanVleet broke the Raptors’ scoring record previously held by his former teammate DeMar DeRozan last night and DeRozan was happy for him.
The Toronto Raptors took on the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night in a matchup of two Eastern Conference teams not slated to make the playoffs as the season stands right now. The Raptors have had an extremely disappointing season, coming into the matchup just 8-12 after finishing last season one of the top teams in the East. They’ve been looking to get back on track and got some good momentum last night.
In a 123-108 win for the Raptors, Fred Van Vleet set the franchise record with 54 points in 37 minutes on the night. He hit a career-high 11 3-pointers in the game and went 17-of-23 from the field. Former Raptor star and current San Antonio Spur DeMar DeRozan previously held the record with a 52-point performance against the Milwaukee Bucks on New Years Day 2018.
DeMar DeRozan congratulated Fred VanVleet on Twitter after VanVleet broke his Raptors record
DeRozan took a second on Twitter to congratulate VanVleet on breaking his record in the incredible performance.
In addition to just being an absolutely incredible performance, VanVleet broke another pretty cool record. His 54 points were the most ever scored by an undrafted player, a record previously held by Hall of Famer Moses Malone.
Prior to Tuesday’s explosion, VanVleet’s NBA career-high was 36 points scored in a game with the Miami Heat in last year’s Orlando Bubble. In that game, VanVleet hit 73-pointers in a 107–103 win for the Raptors.
The Raptors have to hope that this performance will spark something in their organization to get them back in the winning spirit. The Canadians are in the middle of a six-game road trip and take on the big, bad Brooklyn Nets on Friday, Feb. 5.