Sophia Michaels
DeMar DeRozan is one of those unfortunate players who has the dubious distinction of his team going on to greatness after he left. In fairness, the guy who replaced him, Kawhi Leonard, is one of top players of his generation, and during the Raptors’ title run last season, submitted one of the best postseasons in recent memory.
Nonetheless, DeRozan has handled it all pretty well and still has a lot of love for his former team … expect, of course, when they get on the court. So on Sunday afternoon, it wasn’t too much of a surprise that he had a head-turning moment late in the third quarter as the Raptors held a commanding 17-point lead.
With the ball at the top of the key, DeRozan was able to get past Rondae Hollis-Jefferson with a quick first step, then proceeded to explode to the rim for a vicious jam over Chris Boucher, which ended with them both landing hard on the court and DeRozan heading to the line for the and-one.
But Boucher took it all in stride, and on the very next possession, he got an easy jam of his own as Toronto added to their lead.
The Spurs were able to climb all the way back in the fourth quarter and make things interesting, but the Raptors ultimately got the 105-104 win. DeRozan led San Antonio with 25 points, eight rebounds, and four assists on the night.
Written by: Uproxx
