Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet posted career numbers in a Monday afternoon victory against the Miami Heat.
The 6-foot-1 guard hit seven three pointers and sunk 13 free throws for a career high 36 points, along with five rebounds and four assists.
While the Heat defesne focused on the likes of Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry, VanVleet found space and opportunity against a youthful Miami backcourt.
VanVleet also played exceptional defense down the stretch, leading to the key defensive stop for the game.
NEED A STOP?
CALL @FredVanVleet pic.twitter.com/HycukJYEjf
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) August 3, 2020
With seven seconds left and the Raptros leading by two, VanVleet poked the ball away from Goran Dragic to regain possesion and ice the game with a pair of free throws.
With the 107-103 victory the Raptors improved to 2-0 in the restart, moving them four games ahead of the Boston Celtics and 6.5 games ahead of Miami.
The Toronto defense managed to slow down the likes of Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler for 26 points combined.
The tough schedule continues for the Raptrors as their the next game is against the Orlando Magic in a potential first round preview.
Fred VanVleet went 8-16 from the field for a very efficient afternoon.