Kawhi Leonard logged 12 points in his first game as the Raptors beat the Portland Trail Blazers 122-104 on Sunday. Leonard played for 19 minutes and was received to cheers by Toronto fans.
In spite of the loud cheers, Kawhi claimed not to notice the love from Raptors fans, saying he was only having fun with the game.
“It’s going to take time to find my rhythm, but I felt great, Leonard said after the game. “…just having fun.” Concerning the cheers, “I didn’t really notice it,” he said. “I was just locked into the game.”
Coach Nick Nurse admitted Leonard’s debut wasn’t perfect but has high hopes the 27-year-old will find his form once the league commences.
“I think everybody saw Kawhi was shaking off some rust but you can obviously see the level that he has,” Nurse said.
The Raptors will continue with their preseason tour by facing the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors began their preseason tour with a 114-110 defeat to the Timberwolves team that didn’t have Jimmy Butler in it. The 29-year-old requested a tradeoff out of Minnesota less than two weeks ago.
In spite of the shocking loss, Warriors’ coach, Steve Kerr was glad his team lost on US soil instead of tours in China.
