The Raptors are back to.500 for the first time since Nov. 13 after earning a 129-104 win over the Spurs on Tuesday.
Once again, it was Fred VanVleet that led the way for Toronto, scoring a game-high 33 points in just 32 minutes of action, notching his third straight game with 30 or more points. Gary Trent Jr. was the next leading scorer with 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting. It was nothing short of a team effort for the Raptors, who dished out 30 assists on 45 made field goals in the game.
San Antonio was led by 19 points and 12 rebounds from former Raptors lottery pick Jakob Poeltl.
Here are some thoughts from the buzzer…
VanVl3333333t
After scoring 35 points through three quarters on Sunday, VanVleet scored 24 first-half points on Tuesday and entered the fourth quarter with 33 points to his name.
As indicated above, VanVleet knocked down seven triples, shooting 7-of-14 from beyond the arc. He added seven assists, to boot.
Update: @FredVanVleet has 31pts so far 🔥 #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/ylABssHnWa
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) January 5, 2022
VanVleet has been on a tear of late, as Tuesday night's performance marks his fourth time scoring 30 or more points in the last five games and third in a row. Over this span, VanVleet is averaging 31.4 points and has drained 30 3-pointers, which is a franchise record in a five-game span.
The All-Star case gets stronger and stronger with time.
Another double-double for Pascal Siakam
Make that three in a row.
Early foul trouble didn't prevent Siakam from being impactful on Tuesday as he finished with 18 points (on 7-of-13 shooting), 12 rebounds and five assists in 28 minutes of action. VanVleet's play has deservedly grabbed headlines, but Siakam is almost quietly returning to an All-Star level himself.
.@pskills43 making an impact on both ends of the court 👏 #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/VSM2xE8EzW
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) January 5, 2022
It's a good sign when your top two players begin to click at the same time.
Poeltl's doing well
After spending the first two seasons of his career in Toronto, Poeltl is now in his fourth season with the Spurs.
Tuesday marked Poeltl's 11th double-double in 29 games this season. For perspective, he recorded 15 double-doubles in 69 games last season. In addition to scoring and rebounding, Poeltl is providing solid rim protection and even some playmaking for San Antonio this year.
Jakob vision 👀 pic.twitter.com/gwW37f7xaQ
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 5, 2022
At 26, Poeltl continues to show why he was a top-10 pick some time ago.
A little bit of everything from Scottie Barnes
We go from one former Raptors lottery pick to another.
4 being GREAT pic.twitter.com/dJs0AG4cjz
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) January 5, 2022
Barnes flirted with a triple-double on Tuesday, finishing with 11 points (on 4-of-7 shooting), nine rebounds and eight assists in 33 minutes of action. He fell shy in this one, but something tells me that we could see Barnes record at least one triple-double before the season's over.
Joshua Primo's homecoming
Ahead of the season, NBA.com caught up with the Spurs rookie, a Mississauga native that had Jan. 4 circled on his calendar for a while now, saying "it's going to be great to come back home and play at Scotiabank. I already looked ahead at that part of the schedule."
While no ticketed fans are permitted entry at Scotiabank Arena, Primo was able to have around 20 friends and family members in attendance, per The Athletic's Eric Koreen.
6 Guard 🙏🇨🇦@JoshuaPrimo4 | #PorVida pic.twitter.com/r6tWaO8TFl
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 5, 2022
The rookie looked glad to be home, notching a new career-high with 15 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists.
Justin Champagnie for your thoughts
Barnes and Primo weren't the only rookies that impressed on Tuesday.
Champagnie made his presence felt in 13 minutes of action, shooting 5-of-6 from the field, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc to finish with 14 points off the bench.
.@JusChampagnie GOING OFF 😤 pic.twitter.com/fwaFBVR5bO
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) January 5, 2022
While he's on a two-way contract (for now), Champagnie is looking like the type of player that can grow into a much larger role for this team in the years to come.
What's next?
It's a quick turnaround for the Raptors, who travel to Milwaukee to face the defending champion Bucks on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Catch you then.
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