TORONTO – Kawhi Leonard scored 23 points in his first regular-season game back with the Raptors as Toronto earned an emphatic 135-92 win over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.
Leonard added six rebounds and two assists as Toronto (1-0) led by as many as 48 points in its home opener.
Despite the solid performance, Leonard was surprisingly inefficient, going 5 for 17 on field-goal attempts, including 2 for 6 on three-pointers.
Leonard was traded back to the Raptors in a blockbuster deal with the Los Angeles Clippers this past summer.
Jalen Smith and former Raptor Norm Powell scored 15 points apiece for Chicago (0-1). Smith also had eight rebounds.
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Takeaways
Bulls: Chicago was overmatched from the opening tip-off, but poor shooting didn’t help its cause. The Bulls went 27 for 85 on field-goal attempts, including 4 for 36 from three-point range. Even their free throws were an issue, with Chicago making 34 of 47 from the charity stripe.
Raptors: Head coach Darko Rajakovic implied before the game that Leonard would be under some kind of minutes restriction as he ramps up his conditioning. Thanks to Toronto’s early lead — leading by as many as 29 points in the first half alone — all of the Raptors starters sat for most of the fourth quarter, with Leonard on the court for a total of 24 minutes.
Key moment
Already leading 43-23 after the first quarter, the Raptors opened the second on a 9-0 run, capped by centre Jakob Poeltl’s free throw, putting the game out of reach.
Key stat
Toronto scored 43 points in the first quarter. The Raptors surpassed that total in a single period on five occasions last season.
Up next
Toronto: Visit the Washington Wizards on Friday.
Chicago: Visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
