Raptors take 1-0 lead; Nuggets win
TORONTO— Kawhi Leonard scored a career playoff-high 45 points on Saturday, leading the Raptors to a 108-95 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers and a 1-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series. In Denver, the Nuggets, behind Nikola Dokic’s triple double, advanced to the second round of the Western Conference after a 90-86 Game 7 win over San Antonio. They play Portland in the semis.
TORONTO— Kawhi Leonard wasn’t interested in putting up a career-high point total against the Philadelphia 76ers. Even as history beckoned, Toronto’s understated star was hoping he could take a seat on the bench.
Leonard scored a career playoff-high 45 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Pascal Siakam added 29 points and the Raptors beat the 76ers, 10895, in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Saturday night.
Leonard’s previous postseason high was 43, with San Antonio against Memphis on April 22, 2017. He matched that by making a pair of free throws with 4:45 remaining, then topped it by draining a jump shot in Toronto’s next possession.
Although he appeared focused on reaching the mark, the opposite was actually true.
“I was trying to get out of the game before it got to that point,” Leonard said. “We were up 20 points with probably like five minutes left and I was already looking at the bench, trying to get them to take meout of the game.”
Leonard matched his careerbest scoring total for any game, set Jan. 1 against Utah. He made 16-of-22 shots, going 3-of-6 from three-point range, and went 10for-11 from the free throw line.
Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic had another triple-double, Jamal Murray hit a clutch floater with 36.8 seconds remaining and the Denver Nuggets held off the Spurs, 90-86 in Game 7, to advance in the postseason for the first time in a decade. “I love the grit, the resiliency, the toughness we played with tonight,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “Even late when they made their run ... we never lost our composure.”
Jokic finished with 21 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, with no pass bigger than the one to set up Murray’s floater. DeMar DeRozan had a chance to slice into the deficit but was blocked by Torrey Craig.