Toronto Raptors: Top 10 moments from 2017-18 NBA season
5. Valanciunas’ big dunk
In one of the NBA’s best ever months of February, the Toronto Raptors were an excellent source of highlight reels to choose from. Whether it was Very Solid Plays (via The Starters) or a thunderous game-tying dunk from an out-of-nowhere inbound play.
On Feb. 23, Raptors were hosting a regular season contest against the Milwaukee Bucks, trailing by two in the final moments of regulation. C.J. Miles had the ball on the sidelines, looking for a shooter to pass to or an outlet where he could run a quick give-and-go so he could be the last person to the shoot.
He found one player open, center Jonas Valanciunas, and proceeded to inbound the ball to the big fella, assuming he will receive a hand-off pass and use him as a screen to get an open look. Valanciunas had the ball in his hands on the 3-point arc, and Milwaukee’s lengthy defenders knew he was going to pass the ball off to someone for a shot. With a split-second decision, JV drove the ball — and his team’s chances of winning — with him to the right side of the basket for what looked like a contested layup.
Jonas had other plans though, and fathered John Henson with a thunderous slam all while the buzzer sounds.
The monster dunk sent the game to OT and ended with Valanciunas lying on the floor with relief — and of course confusion as to how he was not fouled. The rest of the team and fans alike tried to cover every inch of every corner of the Air Canada Centre with their screams of joy. It was a completely electric moment in the Raptors’ season.