Fred VanVleet's return makes all the difference for Raptors in Game 6

The Toronto Raptors trailed by five heading into the fourth quarter of Game 6, but head coach Dwane Casey didn't turn to his stars.

Casey rode his "Bench Mob" during Friday's tense elimination game against the Washington Wizards, and he was rewarded with a lopsided 29-14 fourth quarter that won the series.

It was a gutsy call that could have backfired spectacularly, especially since Wizards coach Scott Brooks played Bradley Beal and John Wall for almost the entire quarter.

But the second unit pulled through, and it was the return of Fred VanVleet from a nagging shoulder injury that made all the difference.

"It's nothing different that we've done, we just added Freddy to the group," Casey said with a smile about his bench unit.

VanVleet, a finalist for Sixth Man of the Year, was quietly stellar in his return. Just like all season, he was the Raptors' glue.

He immediately sparked a 13-4 run in the second quarter, collecting two assists and a pull-up jumper to help the Raptors erase a double-digit deficit. He also drilled a back-breaking 28-foot three that pulled Toronto level in the fourth.

His biggest contribution was on defense. Much to everyone's surprise, the Wizards' bench torched its counterpart thanks to a relentless drive-and-kick scheme centered around a slimmed-down Ty Lawson. VanVleet was the only player all series who could doggedly stay in front of Lawson and prevent him from getting into the paint. He held Lawson without an assist in Game 6 because everyone else could stay at home on defense.

VanVleet finished with a modest five points and four assists on the night, but his mere presence reassured his teammates. The second unit looks to "Steady Freddy" as its captain, and it's no coincidence that Pascal Siakam snapped out of his funk once he returned.

"(VanVleet) makes a difference with that group. He's the engine, the toughness, he's the little birdie on the shoulder, and I thought it really propelled Pascal and those other guys to give them a sense of confidence," Casey said.

Siakam located his confidence early in the game after VanVleet found him for an acrobatic alley-oop, and then he really came alive in the fourth quarter. Siakam scored with three baskets - a tough hook shot, a putback dunk, and a transition layup - while also playing shutdown defense against John Wall and recording breathtaking blocks on Beal and Mike Scott. He credited VanVleet for his breakout performance.

"He just keeps us all calm out there even when things aren't going right," Siakam said. "We just have a cool factor when he's there."

The return of VanVleet also gave Kyle Lowry some much-needed rest. VanVleet guided the bench unit to a 15-7 run over the first six minutes of the fourth quarter, and he kept Beal reasonably in check.

That allowed the 32-year-old Lowry to only play the final six minutes of the fourth quarter, and he was noticeably more energized as he scored three driving layups to clinch the win. That stood in stark contrast to Game 4's painful finish, when Lowry was utterly spent after chasing Beal around for the entire final frame.

"Freddy didn't make spectacular plays, but he was out there controlling the game, (he) controlled the tempo, let Delon (Wright) get out there and play off the ball, and cut, be free, and gamble a little bit," Lowry said of his backup.

"He also kept a body on Bradley Beal. I think his defense on Brad ... it just wore on Brad to keep hitting him, touching him, and I think that's where Freddy did a great job tonight."