Seven years after making history in a Raptors jersey, Kawhi Leonard has returned to Toronto in grand fashion.
The new star for the Canadian squad stood out with 23 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals to lead the team past the Chicago Bulls by a comfortable 135 to 92.
He finished 6 of 17 from the field, including a perfect 11 of 11 from the free-throw line.
“I’m just going to play as hard as I can and try to have fun out there, and try to make this city proud of me,” Kawhi said.
Scottie Barnes and his teammate Immanuel Quickley each totaled 23 points, and RJ Barrett finished with 20.
Between the four players they combined for 89 of their 135 points.
For their part, the new Chicago Bulls under Tiago Splitter had a forgettable night with 27 turnovers.
The rookie Caleb Wilson debuted with 16 points, though 9 of those were turnovers of his.
Matas Buzelis was the leading scorer for the visitors with 17 points; another rookie like Norman Powell added 15 points, and Jalen Smith contributed another 15.
All in all. The Bulls’ powder was completely damp, finishing with 4 of 36 from three-point range. Only the aforementioned Norman Powell managed to score more than one.
