The Toronto Raptors took Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Philadelphia 76ers, 108-95, behind the stellar performance of All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard.

Leonard finished with a playoff career high of 45 points, plus 11 rebounds, two assists, and two steals. He scored 27 of his points in the first half, making him the third Raptors player to score at least 25 points in one half.

Only two Raptors scored in double-digits in Game 1, Leonard and Pascal Siakam (29 points), but it was enough to take down the Sixers, who got underwhelming performances from Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, and Jimmy Butler.

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This is the first time Kawhi Leonard played in the postseason since being injured in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals in 2017 with the San Antonio Spurs. Despite an impressive regular season, there were still a lot of doubts if Leonard could handle the pressure of leading a team to the playoffs following a long layoff. He quickly erased all the worries in the first round against the Orlando Magic. From the looks of his performance in Game 1 against the Sixers, Kawhi Leonard plans to keep his momentum going.

The Raptors looked dominant from the beginning; while Leonard and Siakam did their damage on the offensive end, their team defense was also very impressive. They sent a clear message to the entire Sixers roster that they intend to make this series as short as possible.

Kawhi Leonard is the main reason Toronto holds the early upper hand in this series.