Kawhi Leonard’s return to a Raptors uniform came with the kind of box score that makes you do a double take.
Toronto opened its NBA season with a 135-92 demolition of the Chicago Bulls, a result that delivered three major statistical marks right out of the gate. The 43-point margin was the largest opening-night victory in Raptors history, per ESPN Insights, and it also stood as the largest loss in a Bulls season opener. On top of that, it was the biggest defeat by a team in a head coach’s debut in NBA history.
Leonard didn’t have a spotless shooting night, finishing with 23 points while hitting just 29.4% from the field. But he made his trips to the stripe count, going 11-for-11 from the free-throw line. He added six rebounds, four steals and a block, and after the game he kept his focus on the process, via Hunter Patterson of The Athletic.
"You can’t rush greatness. You know, whenever the medical thinks I could push forward and I’m feeling great, whatever numbers we’re looking at, or they’re looking at, then that’s when that time will come. I was just happy to be out there and do the best I can with my minutes,"
Scottie Barnes matched Leonard with 23 points, and Immanuel Quickley did the same. RJ Barrett chipped in 20, and Toronto got scoring help across the board, with nine Raptors finishing with at least five points. The result made the win look less like a hot start and more like a full-team avalanche.
The Bulls never found an answer. Matas Buzelis led Chicago with 17 points, but he shot just 25% from the floor, and no Bulls player reached 20 points. Toronto’s defense controlled the game from start to finish, while Chicago’s only clear statistical win came on the glass with 57 total rebounds.
For the Raptors, Leonard’s homecoming had the kind of impact you don’t ignore. He and Barnes were at the center of a night that looked, for one game at least, very much like a team playing with championship-level swagger.
In Other News...
Bulls Get One Encouraging Return As Another Injury Concern Lingers
The Bulls are getting one rotation piece back as the regular season opens, but the frontcourt remains in flux. Zach Collins has returned from a quad injury and coach Tiago Splitter said the team is easing him in rather than throwing him right back into a full workload, a sensible approach for a group still sorting out its big-man mix.
Chicago may need that patience in more than one spot. While Collins works his way back, point guard Josh Giddey acknowledged a wrist injury from the preseason that could require attention all season, adding another layer of early uncertainty for a team already trying to establish some stability after a shaky start to the year. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Giddey Put A Bulls Roster Question Front And Center
The Bulls 2026-27 opener against Toronto did more than leave them with a loss. It put Josh Giddey squarely under the microscope in his third season with Chicago, because the night was supposed to offer an early read on how much he can still shape the offense. Instead, the possession game got messy, and the kind of steady control the Bulls need from him never really showed up.
Giddey has long been valued for his passing and overall feel, but Chicago cannot afford to treat him as only a connector if the offense is going to move forward. The bigger question now is whether he can do more than rack up assists and actually create a reliable advantage on a consistent basis, because that is the standard his future with the Bulls is increasingly going to be measured against. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Wilson Just Gave Bulls Fans A Reason To Keep Watching
The Bulls got their season underway against Toronto with plenty of eyes on Caleb Wilson, the No. 4 pick making his NBA debut. The rookie delivered an early flash of why Chicago is excited about him, throwing down his first NBA dunk late in the second quarter off a feed from Norman Powell and giving the home crowd a moment worth remembering in an otherwise rough start.
By three quarters, Wilson had 10 points while also dealing with the speed and pressure that come with a first regular-season game. Chicago was already staring at a 103-71 deficit, which left the bigger questions for later in the night and, really, for the stretch ahead as the Bulls try to sort out how quickly their prized newcomer can settle in. [Read more 🡒]