Former Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard recorded 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists in Game 1 of the 2019 NBA Finals. Leonard did not have a great game, shooting 5-of-14 from the field with most of his points coming from the charity stripe, on 10 of his 12 free throws.
During the game coverage, ESPN’s NBA analyst Mark Jackson stated Leonard was an elite scorer and only getting better.
[Kawhi Leonard] is an elite scorer, who is scary and only getting better.
After the game, Kawhi talked about how the Warriors were able to limit him in the first half, but in the second he was able to contribute on the offensive end.
They did a good job both halves blitzing my pick-and-rolls and keeping a third guy in the back not allowing me to play one-on-one. Tilting their defense that is pretty much it not letting me get no easy looks by bringing two to the ball and if I get by that third guy is coming. My teammates played well tonight … and it is a team game. If they are going to play like that, guys are going to play well and get wide-open shots.
Leonard also praised Pascal Siakam on set a record in a Finals debut:
He played well on both ends of the floor, he got to the paint, he knocked down his shots, he was aggressive on both ends of the floor. He got his hands on a lot of deflection tonight, big blocked shots, and big buckets. So, he played well.
Toronto won Game 1 with Most Improved Player candidate Pascal Siakam leading the way for the Raptors with a playoff career high of 32 points to go along with eight rebounds and five boards. Marc Gasol chipped in with 20 points, seven rebounds, and an assist in 30 minutes of play before fouling out late in the fourth quarter of game one.
Game two of the Finals is on Sunday at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
