Raptors' Fred VanVleet: Nabs four steals in victory
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VanVleet posted 17 points (7-16 FG, 2-9 3Pt, 1-1 FT), four rebounds, five assists, two blocks and four steals across 38 minutes during Wednesday's 113-95 win over Sacramento.
VanVleet finished third among Toronto players with 17 points in the contest, but his best work came on the defensive end. The point guard tied a season high with four thefts and also swatted multiple shots for the sixth time this season. VanVleet has been on a roll over his past five games, averaging 28.4 points, 6.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks while shooting 43.8 percent from three-point range and making all 27 of his free-throw attempts.
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Raptors' Fred VanVleet: Leads way in scoring column
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VanVleet (ribs) racked up 28 points (8-19 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 8-8 FT), three assists, two rebounds and two steals over 34 minutes during Sunday's 125-116 win over New York.
After sitting out Saturday's 106-104 loss to Boston with a rib injury, VanVleet was back in action for the second half of the back-to-back set and didn't face any restrictions. The one-game respite didn't disrupt the rhythm VanVleet has displayed of late; he's now averaging 31.2 points, 7.0 assists and 4.8 three-pointers over his last four appearances while shooting 48.2 percent from the field.
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Raptors' Fred VanVleet: Will play Sunday
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VanVleet (ribs) will play Sunday against the Knicks, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca reports.
VanVleet was in danger of missing a second straight contest due to soreness in his right ribs, but he'll ultimately play through the issue. Over his past five appearances, the point guard has averaged 21.3 points, 7.9 assists, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 37.1 minutes per game.
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Raptors' Fred VanVleet: Listed as questionable for Sunday
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VanVleet (ribs) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Knicks, Eric Koreen of The Athletic reports.
VanVleet was a late addition to the injury report Saturday with soreness in his right ribs and was ultimately sidelined for the Raptors' 106-104 loss to the Celtics. The point guard is now a question mark for the second half of Toronto's back-to-back set, and his availability for Sunday's game likely won't be known until closer to the 6 p.m. ET opening tip. Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes could see more opportunities to facilitate the offense if VanVleet is sidelined again Sunday.
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Raptors' Fred VanVleet: Downgraded to out
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VanVleet (ribs) will not play in Saturday's game against the Celtics, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca
VanVleet was a late addition to the injury report Saturday with soreness in his right ribs and will end up sidelined due to the issue. With Dalano Banton (hip) also absent, Malachi Flynn will see expanded run, while Scottie Barnes could see more ball-handling duties. With Saturday's tilt being the first of a back-to-back set and the Celtics resting Jayson Tatum, fantasy managers should not be concerned about Vanvleet's absence and can expect him to return for Sunday's meeting with the Knicks.
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Raptors' Fred VanVleet: Questionable vs. Celtics
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VanVleet is questionable for Saturday's game against the Celtics due to right rib soreness, Keith Smith of Spotrac.com reports.
VanVleet is coming off an impressive three-game stretch with averages of 32.3 points, 8.3 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks with just 1.3 turnovers across 39.3 minutes. However, he may miss his first game since Dec. 30. If he sits out, more minutes could be in store for Malachi Flynn, especially since Dalano Banton (hip) has already been ruled out.
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Raptors' Fred VanVleet: Double-digit dimes in loss
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VanVleet closed with 25 points (7-13 FG, 4-6 3Pt, 7-7 FT), one rebound, 10 assists, one block and two steals across 36 minutes during Thursday's 128-126 loss to the Timberwolves.
VanVleet had double-digit assist numbers for just the third time this season, continuing what has been a nice return to form over the past week. He has been a top-10 player over that span, bringing his season rank up to 22. While his per-game production has been about where fantasy managers expected, the fact he is playing upwards of 36 minutes on most nights is cause for concern in terms of his long-term health.
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Raptors' Fred VanVleet: Leads way with near-triple-double
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VanVleet posted 39 points (15-28 FG, 6-12 3Pt, 3-3 FT), nine rebounds and seven assists in 37 minutes during Tuesday's 130-122 loss to Milwaukee.
VanVleet led all Raptors players in scoring, three-pointers and assists while finishing one rebound and three assists shy of a triple-double. The 39-point output tied a season high for VanVleet, who averaged 36.0 points on 49 percent shooting between both ends of the Raptors' back-to-back set to begin their five-game week. The pair of big performances were a welcome sight for fantasy managers after VanVleet was held to 14 points or fewer in each of the prior four contests while connecting on just one-third of his field-goal attempts.
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Raptors' Fred VanVleet: Posts game-high 33 points
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VanVleet closed with 33 points (10-23 FG, 5-13 3Pt, 8-8 FT), five rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and two steals in 45 minutes during Monday's 123-121 overtime victory over the Knicks.
VanVleet put together his best scoring performance since Dec. 16, when he poured in 39 points against Brooklyn. This was a great sign for fantasy managers, as VanVleet had been held to 25 total points over his last three contests prior to Monday's clash. The Wichita State product also recorded his first two blocks since Jan. 6.
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Raptors' Fred VanVleet: Available Monday
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VanVleet (back) will play Monday against the Knicks, Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com reports.
VanVleet was initially listed as questionable for Monday's game due to lower-back soreness before being upgraded to probable. Now, coach Nick Nurse has confirmed the guard will be able to play through the issue. The 28-year-old has scored in double figures in five of his last six appearances, averaging 15.8 points, 7.7 assists and 6.7 rebounds in 36.0 minutes per game over that stretch.
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Raptors' Fred VanVleet: Questionable for Monday
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VanVleet is questionable for Monday's game against the Knicks due to lower-back soreness, Vivek Jacob of the Raptors' official site reports.
VanVleet is nursing the injury after playing 26 minutes and producing just three points (1-9 FG, 1-6 3Pt), six rebounds and four assists in Saturday's 114-103 loss to the Hawks. If VanVleet can't go Monday, Malachi Flynn could be thrust into a bigger role in the Toronto backcourt, while players like Gary Trent, Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam could step into larger roles as facilitators.
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Raptors' Fred VanVleet: Leads team from deep in win
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VanVleet ended Sunday's 117-105 win over the Trail Blazers with 14 points (5-12 FG, 4-9 3Pt), six rebounds and seven assists over 35 minutes.
VanVleet connected on a team-high four threes en route to finishing as one of five Raptors players in double figures. The dynamic point guard has posted at least 10 points, five rebounds and five assists in three straight games.
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Raptors' Fred VanVleet: Another 28-point game
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VanVleet ended with 28 points (9-21 FG, 3-9 3Pt, 7-9 FT), eight rebounds, seven assists, one block and two steals across 41 minutes during Friday's 112-108 loss to the Knicks.
VanVleet has now posted 28-point performances in back-to-back games, and while the Raptors have come up short in both contests, the combo guard has been playing quite well as a legit offensive threat. He's had some subpar performances in recent weeks, but the former Wichita State star is still averaging 19.9 points, 5.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game since the start of December.
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Raptors' Fred VanVleet: Sniffs triple-double in loss
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VanVleet produced 28 points (8-23 FG, 4-14 3Pt, 8-8 FT), eight rebounds, 12 assists and three steals over 47 minutes during Wednesday's 104-101 overtime loss to the Bucks.
The Raptors came quite close to pulling the upset against Milwaukee, and VanVleet's performance was a big reason why, as he ended just two rebounds away from recording a triple-double. This was a huge bounce-back performance after racking up 13 combined points over his previous two outings.
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Raptors' Fred VanVleet: Will be available Monday
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Head coach Nick Nurse said VanVleet (back) will be available for Monday's contest against the Pacers, Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star reports.
VanVleet has missed back-to-back games due to a back injury and was initially listed as questionable for Monday. However, the veteran point guard will ultimately be available and presumably return to the starting lineup against Indiana. It hasn't been an ideal start to the campaign for VanVleet, who's shooting a career-low 33.1 percent from deep, but he'll look to find his groove following a brief absence.
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Raptors' Fred VanVleet: Questionable for Monday
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VanVleet (back) is considered a question mark for Monday's game versus the Pacers, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.
VanVleet has held a questionable designation for the last two contests before being ruled out, so his status for Monday doesn't tell us much about his availability. The team should provide an official ruling on his status ahead of the 7 PM ET opening tip.
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Raptors' Fred VanVleet: Won't play against Phoenix
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VanVleet (back) is out for Friday's game versus the Suns, Aaron Rose of SI.com reports.
VanVleet will miss his second straight game after being downgraded from questionable to out Friday due to back spasms. Malachi Flynn and Jeff Dowtin could see extra minutes again. VanVleet's next chance to play is Monday's matchup with the Pacers.
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Raptors' Fred VanVleet: Questionable Friday
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VanVleet (back) is questionable for Friday's game against the Suns, Aaron Rose of SI.com reports.
VanVleet was unavailable Thursday against the Grizzlies due to back spasms, but he'll have a chance to return for the second half of the back-to-back set. If he remains out, Gary Trent and Malachi Flynn should continue to see plenty of run in Toronto's backcourt.
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Raptors' Fred VanVleet: Ruled out Thursday
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VanVleet (back) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Grizzlies, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca reports.
The 28-year-old didn't practice Wednesday due to his back spasms, and coach Nick Nurse said that he's considered day-to-day. VanVleet will be forced to miss at least one game, and it's unclear whether he'll be available for the second half of the back-to-back set Friday against the Suns.
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Raptors' Fred VanVleet: Deemed questionable Thursday
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VanVleet (back) is questionable for Thursday's game against Memphis, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun reports.
VanVleet is dealing with back spasms following Tuesday's game against the Clippers, and he could not practice Wednesday. If the veteran point guard is forced to sit out against the Grizzlies, Malachi Flynn could see increased playing time for Toronto.
