Leonard’s 31 lead Raptors past Pelicans, 127-104
NEW ORLEANS — Kawhi Leonard was bound to have a big night.
New Orleans was without its best on-the-ball defender in Jrue Holiday and best rim protector in Anthony Davis. Those absences gave Leonard an opportunity to use the Pelicans’ up-tempo pace against them by going strong to the basket early and often.
Leonard scored 31 points and the Toronto Raptors snapped a two-game skid with a 127-104 victory over undermanned New Orleans on Friday night.
“I got a lot of buckets in transition, easy layups, even wide-open shots, and that probably got me going a little bit,” Leonard said. “Tonight was just my night.”