Toronto Raptors rout Chicago Bulls 135-92: Kawhi Leonard scores 23 in his Raptors return as Toronto never trails

Kawhi Leonard scored 23 points in his first game back with the Toronto Raptors, and Toronto never trailed in a 135-92 rout of the Chicago Bulls at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday, October 21. Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes also scored 23 each, and the Raptors led by as many as 48 in front of 19,800 fans.

Leonard, back in a Raptors uniform for the first time since leading Toronto to the 2019 championship, made all 11 of his free throws and added 6 rebounds and 4 steals in 24 minutes. He shot 5-of-17 from the field, but he assisted on Toronto’s first basket and the Raptors were never threatened after the opening minutes.

Kawhi showcasing his skills on both ends 💪

Forces a steal.
Slams it home.

He's up to 20 PTS (4 STL) in his Raptors return 👏

Tap below to follow in NBA Gametime on X! https://t.co/ZKNMywVbKH pic.twitter.com/ePv2dwzcWj

— NBA (@NBA) October 22, 2026

Video: NBA / X.

How it turned

RJ Barrett scored the first basket on a Leonard pass, Leonard hit a 25-footer on the next trip, and Toronto led 7-0. Jalen Smith scored Chicago’s first eight points to keep it close at 12-8, but the Raptors pulled away with a 31-15 finish to the first quarter. Quickley scored 14 points in the period, three of them on threes, and Toronto led 43-23 after one.

The lead was 69-44 at halftime and 103-71 after three quarters, with Barrett scoring 10 points in the third. Leonard scored eight points in the first four minutes of the fourth, including a running dunk, a technical free throw after a Josh Giddey technical, and a 26-foot jumper that made it 121-75 with 8:14 left, and the lead peaked at 134-86 with 3:24 to play.

Kawhi MAKING PLAYS on both ends in his Raptors return 😤

Sinks a 3.
Steal & assist. pic.twitter.com/UDY9bih0lI

— NBA (@NBA) October 22, 2026

The numbers

Chicago made 4 of its 36 three-point attempts and committed 27 turnovers, which Toronto turned into 35 points. The Raptors had 15 steals and outscored the Bulls 34-13 in fast-break points and 58-40 in the paint. Quickley added 7 assists and was plus-38, the best mark in the game. Barnes had 23 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, and Barrett scored 20 on 8-of-14 shooting. Ja’Kobe Walter had 10 points off the bench, and Trayce Jackson-Davis scored 9 on 4-of-5 shooting.

Chicago’s side

Matas Buzelis led the Bulls with 17 points, 14 of them in the fourth quarter, and made 13 of 16 free throws. Rookie Caleb Wilson scored 16 but went 7-of-21 with 9 turnovers, and Jalen Smith and Norman Powell scored 15 each. Tre Jones added 13 off the bench. Giddey had 7 rebounds and 6 assists but scored 2 points on 1-of-10 shooting. Chicago shot 32 percent from the field and grabbed 21 offensive rebounds, but it could not keep up. The Bulls played without Nic Claxton and Jordan Hawkins.

What’s next

The Raptors visit the Washington Wizards on Friday, October 23 (7 p.m. ET, 2 a.m. Saturday Cairo time). The Bulls visit the Milwaukee Bucks the same day.

Full box score and play-by-play: Game Center. All-time head-to-head.