MY ACCOUNT
Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet heaped praise on the professionalism and locked-in nature of his squad, while Scottie Barnes looked forward to Kyle Lowry’s return to Toronto this weekend after a 102-89 win against the Orlando Magic.
With the win, the Raptors moved to 11-2 from their past 13 fixtures, including wins over championship contenders such as the Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics.
All five Raptors starters finished with at least 14 points, as VanVleet and rookie Scottie Barnes led the way with 19 points each.
VanVleet also added five steals and two blocks to his stat-line, while Barnes collected eight rebounds and dished out seven assists, with no turnovers.
Speaking to post-game media, VanVleet highlighted the value of chemistry as the core of himself, Pascal Siakam and O.G. Anunoby remain from the Raptors’ 2019 championship.
“The biggest thing chemistry does is extend your winning streaks, and helps you get out of funks,” he said.
“When you have problems and you can address them, and you can communicate better, there’s less BS going on, less hidden agendas.
“Everybody has hidden agendas – everybody has personal goals – but when you have good chemistry you can kind of all be on the same page.
“It’s not easy all the time, everyone wants to be great in their own right, but I think we’ve all agreed on putting winning as the biggest picture and the number-one goal, and everything else falls under that.”
A main factor of the Raptors’ recent hot run has been their professionalism, with VanVleet highlighting how important it is to have a group of guys all locked in on their assignments.
“Over the last couple weeks we’ve been really locked into the game plans, and our attention to detail has been great,” he said.
“That’s one thing you look for, especially with a young team, how you can convert from walkthroughs and shoot-arounds and practices to the game.
“No plan is perfect – sometimes they’re good, sometimes they’re bad, but as long as we’re all on the same page we give ourselves a chance, and we stick together. That’s something that can go a long way.”
Speaking on the court immediately after the win, star rookie Scottie Barnes looked forward to Kyle Lowry’s return to Toronto on Sunday night.
“I already know it’s going to be a packed house, for sure,” he said.
“It’s his first game back, and he did so much for the organization. He might be the best Toronto Raptor ever.
“It’s going to be a memorable night for him, so we have to come ready to play.”
When asked about his own personal hot-streak, which has seen Barnes become the bookmakers’ second-favorite for Rookie of the Year behind Evan Mobley, he was optimistic about the best being yet to come.
“I’m just getting started really – our team is doing really good, we’re ready to go to the playoffs,” he said.
“I’m a winner – I’ve always been a winner.”
