Although the Toronto Raptors made a big splash bringing back Kawhi Leonard, they showed on Wednesday that they can win without the star forward.
The Raptors will try to do it again on Friday night when they host the Orlando Magic in a rematch that also serves as both teams’ NBA Cup opener.
With Leonard out due to swelling in his left knee, RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes carried the torch for host Toronto in a 129-99 rout of short-handed Orlando.
Barrett finished with 25 points, nine rebounds and six assists while Barnes had 28 points, six rebounds and four assists. Ja’Kobe Walter started in Leonard’s absence and finished with 14 points and five rebounds.
Barnes bounced back after a dismal 0-for-12 shooting performance against Minnesota last Sunday.
“I don’t know if it was our most complete game — it’s only been four games — but I feel like we did a good job defensively, did a good job scoring in transition, and I think RJ did a great job of that in the first half, being able to get to the paint, scoring and getting kickouts,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “He set the tone for us on the offensive end.”
It remains to be seen how long the Raptors will have to follow this blueprint for success without Leonard, with the team announcing on Tuesday he will be sidelined at least one week. NBA insider Chris Haynes reported on Thursday that Leonard is likely to miss three to four weeks while receiving treatment and resting the injury.
Leonard, a seven-time All-Star, had led the Raptors to the 2019 NBA title before signing with the Los Angeles Clippers (2019-26).
“You don’t have an opportunity to add a player like Kawhi Leonard that easily … him wanting to come home and us believing he’s a great fit for our team, it was an easy decision to make,” Rajakovic said.
“And we believe that we have a pretty deep roster,” the coach continued. “We saw pretty much these same guys perform in the playoffs and we are confident in the work we’re putting in that guys are improving and getting better, and that gives us every confidence every single night that we are good and deep enough that we can face any team in the league.”
Orlando is also hoping to get healthy sooner than later as the team was without both forward Paolo Banchero (ankle) and guard Jalen Suggs (knee) in Wednesday’s loss. Both players have already been ruled out for Friday.
The Magic, who were already without forward Jonathan Isaac due to a left knee sprain, struggled to find any kind of rhythm. Jase Richardson picked up three fouls in the first half and he was limited to 10 points in only 14 minutes.
“It’s a great opportunity,” guard Desmond Bane told the Orlando Sentinel after the loss. “We get to go out there and compete again and get a chance to right the wrong.”
Most of the “wrong” Bane referred to was 20 Magic turnovers, which led to 20 points for the Raptors.
Orlando is averaging 18.0 turnovers through four games, which is tied for the third-highest rate in the NBA.
Tristan da Silva was one of the few bright spots for the Magic, coming off the bench and scoring 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting. He is averaging 14.5 points per game and shooting 51.2% overall, including 45.2% from 3-point range.
“Just the trust that the coaches have put in me (and) the trust I’m getting from my teammates (who are) looking for me and making sure I get the looks when I’m open,” da Silva said. “It’s really a credit to them for finding me and allowing me to play this role.”
