Leonard had a steal on Toronto’s first defensive sequence in a blowout victory at Scotiabank Arena.
Knicks Leonard
Kawhi Leonard of the Raptors, in his first game action of the pre-season, guards Miles McBride of the New York Knicks at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday night.
Doug-Smith
By Doug SmithSports Reporter
Forget the numbers, as impressive as they are, because the competition was substandard and the stakes didn’t amount to a hill of beans.
Think rather in the abstract, the flow and the feel, and project those thoughts onto the weeks and months to come.
The Raptors surely are, and all they are thinking about now is how good this group might become, because Kawhi Leonard took to an NBA court in a Toronto uniform again Tuesday night and it was nothing but good.
He looked comfortable and healthy and worked in fine cohesion with every group of teammates alongside him on the Scotiabank Arena court. He moved fluidly, dominated physically at times and was a big, strong, intelligent part of a swarming, disruptive Raptors defence.
KAWHI FOR THREE 🗣️ https://t.co/liD52Yi2ZY
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 13, 2026
No, it wasn’t a real game, and the opposition was closer to a G League team than the defending champion Knicks roster (New York left its top eight players home), but the signs that Leonard was just fine in his first pre-season game action were undeniable.
“It was good,” he said. “Just being able to get out there and play a different opponent, it was great. The crowd (was) involved, the fatigue, coach calling plays and learning on the fly, it’s all great practice.
“We came in … focused on defence and that was my intention. Wanted to just get out, get after it and get tired. I still want to get in better shape ... (but) the guys have been great … everybody else just been helping me out and just trying to make the transition so easy.”
His stat line was crazy good in Toronto’s 148-98 slaughter of the Knicks: 21 points including four of eight three-pointers, five rebounds and an impressive plus-28 in less than 17 first-half minutes.
He had a steal on Toronto’s first defensive sequence and nearly another less than a minute later. He ran around the court — out near the midcourt line one moment, back near the free-throw line the next — in the Raptors’ frenetic half court scheme and never once looked out of place.
And he never once looked like a guy who was taking the game over, even if he did inadvertently at times. His play was complementary to Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley and Collin Murray-Boyles. He fed off their play and they fed off his, just like the Raptors had hoped when they added him in the off-season.
Barnes had 19 points, Murray-Boyles 19 and Barrett 17. The Raptors offence didn’t suffer because Leonard was at the centre of it.
“It was great that he had a chance to play with our starters, that everybody was available,” coach Darko Rajakovic said. “I tried to get those guys as much as possible on the court together, so that they had the chemistry and spacing and that kind of stuff.
“Obviously just the first game, you know, he was very excited coming into this game and thought it was great.”
Now, there’s a lot of work still to do and real games to be played against legitimate competition with something on the line when the regular season starts Oct. 21 against the Chicago Bulls.
But the signs were there Tuesday, signs the Raptors have been waiting to see for weeks and that made the night a success. The win didn’t really matter, neither did the stats. The fluidity, the cohesion, the team play was the biggest thing and why Toronto needed to get Leonard on the court under game conditions early.
Graves debuts
Raptors rookie Allen Graves made his first appearance of the pre-season after missing two games with a groin injury. It didn’t start particularly well — the six-foot-nine forward, drafted 19th in June, committed three fouls in his first four minutes on the court — but any jitters disappeared. He finished with five points and three rebounds in 15 minutes. Most important, he got some live game action after doing nothing but scrimmaging with teammates.
MY GOODNESS CMB 🔥 https://t.co/nJnBVD8Zon
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 14, 2026
Murray-Boyles watch
The Raptors are moving second-year big man Murray-Boyles all over the place. They are using him as a power forward away from the basket when he’s on the court with Jakob Poeltl, and putting him at centre near the basket when he’s on the court with Poeltl on the bench. But what they want from him, regardless of position, is a bit more shooting and that’s what he’s been working on.
“Collin can shoot, Collin can dribble,” point guard Jamal Shead said. “He can do everything the guard does. He’s got to get used to it.”
Murray-Boyles finished 7 for 7 from the field, including a couple of three-pointers, with nine rebounds.
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