Kawhi Leonard spoils emotional DeMar DeRozan return in Raptors win

Kawhi Leonard played spoiler on DeMar DeRozan’s emotional return to Toronto on Friday.

Leonard, who was acquired in the blockbuster trade last summer that sent DeRozan to the Spurs, scored 25 points, including a breakaway dunk after a steal off DeRozan with 15 seconds on the clock, and the Raptors held on to beat San Antonio 120-117.

Six players scored in double figures for the Raptors (44-16). Pascal Siakam had 22 points, Kyle Lowry and Danny Green had 17 apiece, Serge Ibaka finished with 13 and newcomer Jeremy Lin chipped in with 11 on a night that saw Raptors coach Nick Nurse ejected in the third quarter for vigorously arguing a call.

DeRozan finished with 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting for the Spurs.

The season’s first meeting between the two teams was ugly, a 125-107 rout by the Spurs on Jan. 3 in San Antonio where, Nurse believes, his team let their emotions of the night get the best of them.

“I think we’ve got to really try to focus on what’s happening on the floor,” Nurse said prior to tipoff Friday. “At some point, you’ve gotta lose yourself in the game. I don’t know when that is. I don’t know if it’s when the ball goes up or if it’s after the first timeout and (DeRozan’s) tribute video is over.

“But at some point, whatever emotions or noise or distractions or whatever are going on around the court, you’ve gotta get focused into the game and play it. So did we do a good job of that last time? No, we just weren’t ready at all.”

The Raptors honoured DeRozan, who played nine years in Toronto, with an emotional tribute during the first timeout. But it was more the rust in their first game after the nine-day NBA all-star break, and the continued chemistry-building with their recently-overhauled roster that caused the Raptors fits on Friday.

The Raptors led by no more than seven points through the first three quarters, despite draining a sizzling 12 three-pointers in the first half. They trailed 91-88 heading into the fourth.

Playing just his second game with Toronto since he was signed on Feb. 13, Lin sparked a fourth-quarter outburst scoring 10 of the Raptors’ first 14 points. And when he fed Ibaka for a dunk with 5:25 to play it put the Raptors up by six.

The Spurs pulled to within a point, but with Lowry draped on his good friend DeRozan like a wet towel, the former Raptor turned the ball over and Leonard scored on Toronto’s next possession, to the delight of the noisy Scotiabank Arena crowd that included TFC forward Jozy Altidore and his girlfriend/tennis player Sloane Stephens.

A game that saw 16 lead changes came down to the final seconds. A three-pointer by Marco Belinelli put the Spurs up by two, Ibaka hit one of two free throws making it a one-point deficit, then Leonard stole the ball off DeRozan and his breakaway dunk with 15 seconds left prompted a deafening roar from the crowd.

The referees threatened to spoil the fun when they ruled Lowry had stepped out of bounds when he hauled in a defensive rebound with a second on the clock, but they reversed the decision upon video review.

The Raptors shot 43 per cent on the night, but 47 per cent from three-point range.

Nurse, meanwhile, is tied with New York’s David Fizdale for the most technicals this season (eight).

The rust from the long layoff was obvious early on Friday as the Raptors shot just 32 per cent in the first quarter but still led for most of the frame. The Spurs took a brief lead but Lin sent a no-look back pass to Ibaka who finished with a three, and the Raptors led 26-23 heading into the second.

A three-pointer by Belinelli capped a 15-3 San Antonio run that put the visitors up by six points. Thanks largely to their three-point shooting, the Raptors pulled to within a point, trailing 56-55 at halftime.

The Raptors stretched their lead to seven midway through the third but couldn’t put the Spurs away, and when former Raptor Rudy Gay drained two free throws, the two points put the Spurs up by five. A driving layup by Lowry cut the deficit to three with one quarter left.

The Raptors play their next three at home, hosting the Orlando Magic on Sunday, the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, and Portland Trail Blazers on March 1.