Kawhi Leonard Emphatically Announced His Return In A Big Win Over The Celtics

In what could prove to be a preview of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics gave us a barn-burner on Friday night, with Toronto pulling out a tough 113-101 win behind a stellar performance from Kawhi Leonard.

Leonard is quickly regaining his form as one of the NBA’s most captivating talents. He finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists in just his second game in a Raptors uniform to announce his return to basketball in a big, big way after a season-long absence marred by controversy with his former team in San Antonio and uncertainty surrounding his health.

It was a game that featured 13 lead changes and seven ties, with the Klaw hearing the MVP chants at various points from the Toronto crowd throughout the night. And if he’s able to sustain this level of play, he’ll remain firmly in that conversation all season.

It wasn’t exactly a smooth start, however, as Kawhi didn’t score until about the three-minute mark of the opening period and was just 3-of-11 from the field overall in the first half. But he came alive after the break with a 15-point third-quarter onslaught that started off with this beautiful move and two-hand finish in the lane.

But as good as Kawhi was, he certainly didn’t do it alone. In a game featuring two teams with tremendous depth up and down their respective rosters, several role players made key contributions for their squads down the stretch, including Serge Ibaka, who chipped in 21 points on efficient 10-of-14 shooting for Toronto.

Kyle Lowry added 15 points and made several big plays in crunch time, including one sequence in the final two minutes where he drew a charge on the defensive end and followed that up with a pair of dagger three-pointers that sparked a 10-0 run to put the game out of reach. And just for good measure, Danny Green teamed up with Kawhi for this vicious chase-down block to seal the victory.

All in all, Toronto had five players in double figures on the night. They were able to withstand a strong combined effort from a Boston team loaded with talent, who also had five starters score in double-digits. Kyrie Irving led the charge with 21 points on 10-of-20 shooting, while Al Horford just missed a triple-double as he put up 14 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists. Sophomore swing-man Jayson Tatum continued to impress with 16 points and nine rebounds, and Gordon Hawyward showed some promising signs of getting back to form as he finished with 14 points.

Both teams were still shaking off the offseason rust early on as they combined for 18 first-half turnovers. None of the three players who are still working their way back after injuries last season – Kawhi, Hayward, and Irving – looks to be 100 percent just yet, but if Friday night’s showdown was any indication, both teams have plenty of reason for optimism.