Toronto Raptors superstar Kawhi Leonard was a maestro on offense in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The former NBA Finals MVP exploded with a career playoff-high 45 points in the Raptors' convincing 108-95 victory on Saturday night.

Leonard shot 16 of 23 from the field, 10 of 11 from the free throw line, and made three 3-pointers. He also added 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block in 38 minutes.

The Sixers threw different coverages at Kawhi throughout the night, from Jimmy Butler, to James Ennis, to Ben Simmons. None of them fazed The Klaw, who dissected and picked apart every defender Philadelphia tried to put on him.

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The All-Star forward started off hot, scoring 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the opening frame. He added 10 in the second quarter and finished with 27 at the half.

Leonard reached his previous career-high mark of 43 points (in a losing effort against the Memphis Grizzlies in 2017) with a pair of freebies with 4:45 remaining. He then broke through on the following possession after nailing a tough floater in the lane with 4:17 left.

Leonard checked out of the contest with 3:17 remaining, when fans at the Scotiabank Arena gave him a standing ovation.

The Sixers will have to watch film and see where and how Leonard did his damage Saturday night.

NBA Most Improved Player front-runner Pascal Siakam poured in 29 points on 12-of-15 shooting for Toronto. He added seven boards. Like Leonard, Siakam also scored 17 points in the first quarter. The two combined for 49 of the Raptors' 61 points at the half.

While the Raptors did get major contributions from Leonard and Siakam, their defense stood out. It held Philadelphia to just 39 percent shooting on the night. More importantly, the Raptors were also able to contain Sixers superstar center Joel Embiid, who finished with just 16 points on 5-of-18 shooting.