Leonard, Raptors open series hot

TORONTO — Kawhi Leonard scored a career playoff-high 45 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Pascal Siakam added 29 points and the Raptors beat the 76ers 108-95 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series Saturday night.

Leonard matched his career-best scoring total for any game, set Jan. 1 against the Jazz. He made 16 of 22 shots, going 3 of 6 from 3-point range, and went 10 of 11 at the freethrow line.

Leonard received a standing ovation when he checked out with 3:14 to play and the Raptors up 107-88.

Kyle Lowry had nine points and eight assists as the Raptors led by as many as 20 en route to their fifth straight postseason victory.

Toronto won its 14th consecutive home meeting with Philadelphia and improved to 22-3 against the 76ers since the start of the 2013-14 season. No other opponent has beaten Philadelphia more often over the past five seasons.

Leonard’s previous postseason high was 43, with the Spurs against the Grizzlies 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 on the next possession.

Tobias Harris had 14 points and 15 rebounds, and JJ Redick scored 17 points for the 76ers. Joel Embiid scored 16 points and Ben Simmons had 14.

Hot starts from Leonard and Siakam put Toronto in control early, and Lowry fueled a pivotal 10-0 run in the third quarter that kept the Raptors comfortable.

Toronto didn’t get any points from bench players until Serge Ibaka’s jump shot with 1:57 left in the third. Ibaka’s basket put Toronto up 89-70. The Raptors finished with 10 bench points, seven from Ibaka and three from Fred VanVleet.

Celebrities in the crowd included Canadian-born Duke basketball star R.J. Barrett, singer Shawn Mendes and actress Elisabeth Moss. No visitor got a bigger welcome, however, than new Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who received a loud ovation when he was shown on the big screen.