Leonard puts on a show as Raptors improve to 5-0, matching best-ever season start
TORONTO — Timberwolves centre Gorgui Dieng was thinking assist in the first half Wednesday when he sent a bounce pass to Jimmy Butler slashing to the basket.
The Minnesota big man hadn’t factored in Kawhi Leonard, however.
The Raptors newcomer, who was guarding Butler, had his back to Dieng as he made the pass. But like basketball’s equivalent of Marvel’s Darevdevil, he lunged as Butler made his move to the paint and got his big mitts on the ball to snuff out the play.
“I just dove for the ball, had an awareness that he was going to bounce-pass it to him and I was able to get the steal,” Leonard said matter-of-factly after the Raptors improved to 5-0 with a 112-105 win, matching the franchise’s best-ever start to a season.