76ers at Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are willing to ride Kawhi Leonard as far as he can take them as they enter the Eastern Conference second-round series against the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. The All-Star small forward, who is scheduled to become a free agent after the season, averaged 27.8 points and 6.6 rebounds in the first round against the Orlando Magic.
The second-seeded Raptors went 3-1 against the 76ers this season as Leonard averaged 30.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and four steals in three games and now Philadelphia is likely to assign Ben Simmons to be the primary defender while mixing in others. "I think you're going to see multiple people, we have the ability to have multiple people guard Kawhi," 76ers coach Brett Brown told reporters. "So it would be wrong to assume that's (Simmons') matchup for the series but for sure he will be on him." Third-seeded Philadelphia dispatched the Brooklyn Nets in its first-round series and is looking to win multiple playoff series for the first time since losing in the 2001 NBA Finals. Toronto has lost in the second round in each of the past two seasons after reaching the Eastern Conference finals in 2016.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT, Sportsnet One (Toronto)
ABOUT THE 76ERS: Center Joel Embiid, who has battled knee issues of late, averaged 26.3 points and 11.8 rebounds against the Raptors in the regular season, while Simmons committed an average of 6.3 turnovers - 24 of the 25 came in losses - while recording 16.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists. Small forward Jimmy Butler said his club is entering the series on a high and he figures that will aid the quest against the Raptors. "I think confidence is key," Butler told reporters. "We need everybody to be healthy but as long as everybody is confident and competing, we will continue to grow and will continue to get better."
ABOUT THE RAPTORS: Leonard had outings of 36 and 31 points in the regular season against the 76ers and coach Nick Nurse sees a player that is ready to do further damage. "He's been through this before, the playoffs, and has made deep runs, obviously," Nurse said of a player who earned NBA Finals MVP for the San Antonio Spurs in 2014. "He relishes this time of year and I think it shows. Playing strong, playing fast, playing defense. He's a great two-way player. He's a great player in this league." Leonard has been receiving yeoman help from young forward Pascal Siakam, who averaged 22.6 points and 8.4 rebounds in the series against Orlando
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Philadelphia has lost 13 straight games in Toronto dating back to a 93-83 win on Nov. 10, 2012.
2. The Raptors are just 2-14 in Game 1s and dropped the opener in the Orlando series.
3. Brown said he expects reserve F Mike Scott (foot) to miss Game 1.