Raptors against Match 1 match 1, highlights: Kawhi Leonard's playoffs, a career high of 45 points, propel Toronto after Philadelphia

The Eastern Conference semifinals kicked off Saturday night with the Toronto Raptors taking a 1-0 lead over the Philadelphia 76ers with a win of 108-95. Toronto struggled in the first half. match over the years, but no such problem has occurred this time.

Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam took a dizzying start, allowing the Raptors to move up two digits mid-way through the first quarter without ever going back. Leonard scored 27 points in the first half, reaching 45 points in his playoff career, while Siakam added 29 more as he continued to climb.

On the defensive side of the ground, the Raptors made life more difficult for the Sixers, who shot just 39.8% of the field and had to work for every look they've got. Leonard, Siakam and Green led the way on the perimeter, while Ibaka ensured strong rim protection.

Here are some takeaways from the great Raptors victory:

Kawhi dominates

The Raptors traded against Kawhi Leonard in the offseason for games like this. He was great in the first game, scoring 45 points on the top 16 of his 23 playoff attempts, in addition to his usual strong defense. The Sixers could do nothing to counter Leonard's efforts on Saturday night. In a match with all sorts of talent, he was the best player on the field, and it was not tight.

Embiid absent

There has never been any doubt as to whether Joel Embiid would be on the pitch in the first match against the Raptors, but it is clear that he is still not 100%. Pre-match, Embiid m said As for his painful knee, "It's still not there, he's still trying to improve." The combination of the knee still annoys him and a much more difficult confrontation on the field in front of this round against Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol gave rise to a sub-match match from the great man of the Sixers. Sixteen out of five out of 18 shots are simply not enough for Embiid.

Shooting Table 1 of the game Embiid

NBA.com/Stats

Siakam proves once again

There was no doubt about Pascal Siakam's ability after what he had done not only in the regular season, but in the first round against the Orlando Magic. But in case you have not been convinced yet, the young striker has set up another fantastic performance. He finished with 29 points on 12 of the 15 players. Waiting for a lot of points to be allocated to him each night may be a little too much, but if he continues to play well, it will be a big problem for the Sixers.

Difference in defense

Both teams have incredible talent on both sides of the track, but the Raptors were much better on the defensive side in the first game. Part of that was their leading defensive talent at Leonard and Siakam, and some of the Sixers. less than perfect fit on the offensive side and some of that was an effort. The trio of problems merged into a tough evening on the offensive for the Sixers. They had to work so hard for every look they had, and simply could not score enough points, shooting 39.3% of the field and turning the ball over 14 times.

Toronto Raptors No. 2 vs Philadelphia No. 3 76ers

How to watch Match 2

• Date: Monday, April 29
• Time: 20h
• Location: Scotiabank Arena – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• TV channel: TNT
• Live Statistics: GameTracker
• Streaming Online: fuboTV (try for free)
• chances: Not published yet

Summary of live updates

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