Fred VanVleet, still here
Fake Drake deservedly got paid a summer ago. Now, he's coming for an All-Star spot in a crowded East that is rightfully his.
The Raptors are playing without fans. The Jazz were without Gobert, Mitchell, Conley, Bogdanovic, and Ingles — and led by as many as 17 points against a full-strength Raptors squad. And then Fred VanVleet happened:
FVV burst onto the national scene in 2019, when he had his first child at the onset of the playoffs and preceded to not miss for four straight rounds. Fake Drake deservedly got paid a summer ago. Now, he's coming for an All-Star spot in a crowded East that is rightfully his.
Last night's 37-point triple-double was the first of VanVleet's career. The Raptors have trended upwards in height over the past few years, surrounding VanVleet (and Kyle Lowry, the GROAT) with copy-and-pasted 6'8 lanky defenders and hustle guys. It allows FVV to do whatever the hell he wants because there will always be someone to clean it up.
VanVleet is listed at 6'1". I think he's a little bit smaller than that — but his impact this season has been huge, and he deserves all of the accolades he's about to receive.
The Bulls, winners of their last nine games, get a lot of notice because of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine — two ball dominant wings who have fit astonishingly well together. Lonzo Ball and Nikola Vucevic are a perfect supporting cast. We've already praised Alex Caruso for the All-Defense season he's had.
And like Caruso, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu are havoc and chaos. The two combined for 39 points on 14-17 from the field in last night's win over Washington. White has blossomed into a dynamic offensive player since his recent insertion into the lineup — 18.7 points on 57% from the field (55% from three on close to seven attempts) over his last six games. Dosunmu, the 38th pick in 2021, is on his way to an All-Rookie second team season.
Dosunmu is another rookie in a stacked class that we should be paying close attention to. He went to Morgan Park High School in Chicago, played for Illinois, and is blossoming as a Bull. He's a sponge. He's played better every time I've seen him. Opposing players are giving him tips, and he's using their advice on them in the game:
This whole "The Bulls are back!" thing is starting to feel very real. They've adopted the Phoenix Suns model: get as many players who can shoot, dribble, pass, and defend as possible. It's that last one that matters most — the Bulls are chaotic at the point of attack, pressuring ball handlers nonstop. We'll have to wait and see if it works in the playoffs, but Chicago is sure to be there. With homecourt advantage.
Sixers 119, Spurs 100 — Embiid continues to play at an MVP level, posting a line of 31-12-7. Tobias Harris has scored 20+ in each of the last two since being booed.
Bucks 121, Nets 109 — Durant was the lone star for Brooklyn. Kyrie can't play in home games, and Harden (16 points, 6-15 FG, nine rebounds, seven assists, five turnovers) couldn't pick up the slack. Bobby Portis' 25 and 12 was too much for Brooklyn to handle. Weird game.
Raptors 122, Jazz 108 — Jazz were led by Eric Paschall (29 points) and Elijah Hughes (26 points).
Bulls 130, Wizards 122 — LaVine's 27 points led Chicago. Greg Monroe scored eight points for Washington.
Mavericks 130, Rockets 106 — Cmon, NBA.com. Get your stuff together. These guys both had a plus-minus of 31. Maxi Kleber is not scoring 31 points in an NBA game.
Timberwolves 135, Thunder 105 — OKC just didn't have it. Anthony Edwards popped off for 17 points in the first quarter, making all six shots.
Nuggets 121, Kings 111 — Jokic is so damn good.
Lakers 134, Hawks 118 — Surprise! The Hawks gave up 130+ points again! Don't look now, but that's four straight for the Lakers! Who knew that the perfect LeBron sidekick (besides Wade) would not be Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, or Russell Westbrook? It's actually Malik Monk!
Cavaliers 114, Trail Blazers 101 — The Cavaliers first win in Portland since... 2013! Darius Garland (26 points, 10-17 FG, six assists) led the show. Also: Rondo is here!
