Chaotic finish sees Raptors fa...

Chaos, and glimpses of hope, have continued to define this Toronto Raptors season, and Wednesday's 104-101 overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks was the pinnacle example. The Raptors found themselves in OT despite all odds being stacked against them — multiple times. They were down 21 points with 3:10 left to go in the 4th quarter, and then down 11 points with 43 seconds left. They ultimately whipped up an 18-7 run, and then an even more improbable 11-0 stretch to tie up the game with less than a second remaining.

That was especially the case for VanVleet, who started the game going 0-3 from three-point range — to the sound of boos on the last miss — but also finished the first quarter with three steals. VanVleet’s 28 points and 12 assists came behind a game-high 46-minute performance. He shot 8-23 from the field, but it was back-to-back three pointers at around the three-minute mark of the 4th quarter that ultimately sparked the team’s eventual run.

“I was tired as shit,” said VanVleet, as he was one of four Raptors players to finish with 40+ minutes.

“I don’t think I’ve seen one that weird,” said Raptors head coach Nick Nurse post-game. “It’s right up there with the weirdness of the whole game.”

After an abysmal start — from both teams — heroics from Fred VanVleet, Scottie Barnes and Gary Trent Jr. led Toronto to overtime. The latter of the three hit two clutch three pointers in the final 30 seconds of the game — the first ultimately resulted in a four-point play due to a Grayson Allen flagrant foul, while the second three-point bomb tied the game up at 97 with 0.8 seconds left in the fourth.

The one-time all-star says he doesn’t “really care about the numbers,” but instead just plays “to win, to compete.” It’s the mantra he’s keeping amid continued shooting woes, as he believes his numbers will eventually even themselves out by season’s end. When asked about the 16-22 record, and what hope he has for the remainder of the season following the past couple games, Nurse says the Raptors need to keep playing to their defensive identity.

But even more so, the team is going through a "very difficult patch, maybe one of the most difficult we’ve ever been through” when it comes to their offence, as make-able shots from more-than-capable players don't fall.

"I think the major thing is we've got to get some confidence back at [the offensive] end," says Nurse. “Simple as that man, we have to put the ball in the bucket a bit more.”