Kawhi Leonard joined the Los Angeles Clippers this offseason, leaving the Toronto Raptors after leading the franchise to its first NBA championship. The former San Diego State standout has returned to Toronto for Wednesday night's matchup against his former team, and he's all business.
When asked to comment on his return to Toronto, Leonard gave a brief yet direct reply:
“I’m happy to be back, excited to get the ring tonight, but we’re here to play a game. That’s how I feel,” Leonard said, via Michael Grange of Sportsnet.
Leonard's rim-tickling shot over the outstretched arm of Sixers big man Joel Embiid in Game 7 of last season's Eastern Conference Semifinals will go down as one of the more memorable moments in NBA history. It sealed Toronto's victory over Philadelphia, which led to a matchup against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. The Raptors won in six games.
So far, Leonard is playing great with the Clippers, who are currently 18-7 overall. In his 18 appearances thus far, he has racked up averages of 25.1 points on 44.7 percent shooting from the field (33.0 percent from beyond the arc), 7.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.9 steals in 31.1 minutes per outing.
Though Leonard is no longer on the roster, the Raptors have managed to post a 16-7 record through the early stages of this season. Monday night's 93-92 victory over the Bulls snapped a three-game losing streak, so Toronto will be looking to build some momentum.
Wednesday night's Clippers-Raptors matchup is scheduled to tip inside Scotiabank Arena at 7:00 p.m. ET, with ESPN having live broadcast coverage. Ticket holders have been asked to be in their seats early for the pregame presentation ceremony involving Kawhi Leonard, according to ESPN.
Follow Us
Subscribe