Kawhi 45 best sparks Raptors in the game 1

Another minute or two, and Leonard could have diverted more from the conversation of the best player in the match Kevin Durant, who scored 50 points Friday for the Golden State Warriors. Some other successful shots, and he could have joined Vince Carter as the only Raptors to have scored 50 goals in the playoffs; Instead, he decided to be one of two Raptors to score over 40 in the playoffs.

Victory, he said, was enough.

"This individual thing is not huge for me," said Leonard. "To achieve these goals, it's great to do it and you can win, but our goal is to try every game to win the game, which is why we play this game." We do not play so I can score 50 points or get 40 points, we are all in this team who are trying to say, "The Raptors win" at the end of the day. "

Leonard's offensive attack started early, scoring 17 points on 7 shots in 9 in the first quarter and Toronto led by 14 points in the first quarter. His break-up – the 17 points tied his personal best for the most playoff points – helped exorcise the Raptors' Match 1 demons when the franchise was 2 to 14 of all time.

Pascal Siakam, who finished with 29 points on a 12-on-15 shot, was on the spot with Leonard, equaling his 17-point total in the first quarter on a 7-for-9 shot. According to data compiled by ESPN Stats & Information, it was the first time that two teammates scored 15 or more points in the first quarter of the game in the last 15 posts.

"Obviously, if Kawhi leaves, too, you know that he will attract attention and clear the way for me too," Siakam said.

At one point, the Raptors scored 13 consecutive attempts at the first team goal, making it the longest sequence in the history of the playoff franchise. Leonard and Siakam combined for 11 of these brands.

"He's a spectacular player, he had a spectacular night and he shot spectacular shots," said 76ers goalie JJ Redick, asking questions about Leonard. "He's a superstar, he's as good as the NBA in generating his own shots and shooting hard, and sometimes it's just a tribute to them, I will not go into the details of our game plan, but I think we can do a better job of our game plan, obviously we need to understand what we are doing with him and Siakam. "

The Raptors were surprised Leonard saw so much plain coverage against Philadelphia. Jimmy Butler started the game with him, and by the time Ben Simmons got the mission, Leonard was already rolling.

"Personally, I think I've done a pretty good job overall, but it's a tough player, he's Kawhi," Simmons said. "It's a very long physical guy, who can shoot the ball, so he's a tough guy to face."

As a team?

"I do not think we've helped enough," Simmons said of the Sixers defense against Leonard.

Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said Simmons could play more of Leonard in the second game on Monday, but he still wants to use a combination of Simmons, Butler and Tobias Harris for the Leonard-Siakam couple.

"Can we see [Simmons] more about Kawhi? Maybe, "said Brown. Maybe we will have to improve some others and help with the crowd. … Our intention was to have Kawhi play several defensive players in this group I just said. "

Meanwhile, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka's Toronto tandem have been incredibly effective on Joel Embiid, limiting the Philadelphia great man to 16 points on 5 out of 18 shots.