10 things: Raptors' Fred VanVleet scores 30 for gritty win in return from injury

Here are 10 takeaways from the Toronto Raptors' 113-104 win over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.

One -- The Raptors delivered a gritty win in the absence of Pascal Siakam, who will be re-evaluated in two weeks for an adductor strain after slipping on a wet spot in Dallas last Friday. Without their main playmaker, the game featured many wild swings and long lulls for the Raptors where the momentum swung in favour of Chicago. But thanks to astute on-the-spot adjustments from coach Nick Nurse and a balanced team effort, Toronto was able to secure the win in front of a sleepy audience.

Two -- Siakam is leading the Raptors in points, rebounds and assists, so the challenge was to replace his production. Fred VanVleet delivered a strong performance and other starters were solid, but the gap was made up by overall effort. The Raptors won the possession battle by a landslide through a 23-15 advantage in offensive rebounding and 17-9 in turnovers. More pressure on defence to create stops, more transition leakouts, and more second-chance opportunities led to the victory. The Raptors will need to maintain this intensity in order to stay competitive in Siakam's absence.

Three -- Nurse's defensive plan focused on limiting DeMar DeRozan, who was fresh off a 46-point explosion against Boston. He assigned his best defender, O.G. Anunoby, to the task, and backed him up with a consistent double team from every direction to force DeRozan into giving up the ball. To his credit, DeRozan was lethal enough to still score 20 points despite only taking nine shots, but that's a win for the Raptors, who were able to scramble and rotate behind the ball to force turnovers and extra attempts from Chicago's worst shooters. Anunoby eventually clinched the game with two steals against DeRozan that both led to breakaways.

Four -- VanVleet stepped up with Siakam hurt, just like he did last season. He was the main engine on offence, repeatedly getting into the paint to create openings for his teammates, and he also created just enough in isolation to finish with 30 points and 11 assists. Without Siakam, Nurse ran more set actions than usual, the majority of which came down to VanVleet attacking in pick-and-roll sequences. But even when the Bulls managed to get VanVleet into isolation scenarios on a short shot clock, he was able to produce a stepback three over Goran Dragic, bait DeRozan into a three-point foul and a tech for four free throws, and drain an absurd running bank shot for an and-one. It served as a useful reminder of just how vital he is to this team.

Five -- Chicago resorted to blitzing VanVleet in the fourth quarter. He was able to beat it with a few important passes, including a slick dime to Scottie Barnes for a cutting dunk. The Raptors also adjusted by getting him off the ball, turning instead to Barnes as the initiator while VanVleet found more room to work off-ball. Chances are good that in Monday's rematch, VanVleet will see more aggressive coverages, and the Raptors will need to be ready with counters.

Six -- Christian Koloko scored a career-high 11 points, with nine points through lobs. The game plan was to make Nikola Vucevic move his lead feet in the pick-and-roll, and the easiest way to punish him was through VanVleet drawing him in the paint before throwing it over him to Koloko. It certainly helps that Toronto's rookie has a 9-foot-5 standing reach, which made it easy to serve it up high without the fear of an interception. Koloko also helps his own case with some very solid screens to get VanVleet the separation to go downhill.

Seven -- More importantly, the Raptors got a dominant six-block defensive display from Koloko. It wasn't an easy six blocks either, as Koloko could hardly afford to camp out in the lane since the scheme was to double DeRozan, then scramble around. But Koloko erased so many mistakes by making the rotation on time to close down the basket. His best block came three minutes into the game, where he trapped DeRozan above the arc, then immediately darted to the basket for an emphatic swat. So long as he stays out of foul trouble, it's clear that Koloko is already a game-changing defensive presence, which is why Nurse has started him in half the games this season.

Eight -- Anunoby continues to be the unsung hero of the team. His impact was felt across the board, as he collected three steals, four offensive rebounds, and 22 points while being the primary defender on DeRozan. Anunoby was in the right spot at the right time to capitalize on broken sequences where the initial shot simply wouldn't drop, and was reliable as always on catch-and-shoot threes. The only trend to watch is how often he comes up empty on drives. He's strong and quick enough to get deep into the paint, but still lacks the creativity and dexterity to finish strong or kickout for the next player.

Nine -- This was an off-night for both Gary Trent Jr. and Precious Achiuwa. For Trent Jr., it was a case of him unable to create openings attacking in isolation over Chicago's pesky guards, and for Achiuwa, it was just a horror show all around where he shanked an open corner triple, then fumbled a guaranteed putback out of bounds. That's when Nurse pulled the plug, subbing in dependable veterans Thad Young and Otto Porter Jr., who were quietly excellent in their roles. This is the type of depth the Raptors lacked last season, where there were no experienced reserves to come in to settle the game down, which often resulted in avoidable losses.

Ten -- It was an up-and-down showing for Barnes, who still looks to be hampered by an ankle injury. He was too passive to start, which is a common pattern for the sophomore, but found a way to contribute through posting up smaller guards in the second quarter. He was shaky on defence in the fourth, allowing three consecutive blow-bys, but dug deep to find the energy for a key putback, a cutting dunk, and a calm kickout to VanVleet against a double team for a vital three before the shot clock expired. There's no time for Barnes to recover, as the Raptors will keep leaning heavily on him for secondary shot creation. The most important thing for him is to keep the offence steady in VanVleet's absence. Chicago turned a 10-point lead into a six-point advantage with Barnes at the dials before VanVleet returned to restore order.