TORONTO – James Harden and Kawhi Leonard are two of the most prolific scorers in the NBA, but against the suddenly hot Toronto Raptors they looked average.
Rookie Ja’Kobe Walter said that Toronto’s success against Harden and Leonard in a 115-108 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers was proof that the Raptors are gaining confidence on defence. The victory was Toronto’s eighth in its last 10 games.
“Everybody knows what (Harden and Leonard) are capable of doing,” said Walter, who had 10 points, four rebounds, and a steal in 21 minutes off the bench. “You’ve got to key in on those guys.
“We’ve watched a lot of film, we know their tendencies, we just tried to do what we could to the best of our abilities, taking away what they like to do.”
Harden led Los Angeles with 25 points in the loss, adding seven assists and five rebounds. Leonard had 14 points, six rebounds and three assists.
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But Harden was limited to 35 per cent shooting from field-goal range and Leonard shot 33 per cent, both well below their career averages of 44 and 49.8 per cent respectively.
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“They did a great job tonight playing defence and they protected their home floor,” said Leonard, who was instrumental in the Raptors’ 2019 NBA championship. “That’s how they got the win.”
Toronto’s defence has helped it become one of the hottest teams in the NBA with the league’s trade deadline looming on Thursday afternoon. It’s not clear yet if the rebuilding Raptors will be buyers, sellers, or stand pat at the deadline.
Opponents have been limited to fewer than 100 points four times in Toronto’s past 10 games, helping the Raptors win eight of those matchups. Walter said that this stretch has been confidence building.
“You can really tell on the court, we’re really starting to help each other defensively,” said the 20-year-old Walter. “We’re talking and the more that we lock up, the more confidence we get throughout the game.
“We’ve been winning, too. It just carries over.”
Sophomore Gradey Dick, more known for his touch as a shooter, was paired off with Leonard throughout the game, dogging the two-time NBA finals MVP around the court.
Dick said that the return of players like Immanuel Quickley and Bruce Brown from injury has helped Toronto (16-33) stiffen its defence and begin its climb up the Eastern Conference standings.
“There’s so much change with our roster in the past couple weeks, with guys coming back,” said Dick. “Just getting big pieces like that.
“I think it’s just knowing in our heads we don’t need to change, really anything. We just need to go out there and play hard.”
Quickley is still on a minutes restriction and had 11 points and six assists in 17 minutes of play time on Sunday. Brown had six points, three rebounds and two assists off the bench.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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