Raptors beat the Clippers, 114-106, in first game post-Kawhi trade

VANCOUVER, CANADA - OCTOBER 10: Nimari Burnett #25 of the Toronto Raptors dunks the ball during the game against the LA Clippers during a 2026 NBA Preseason game on October 10, 2026 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jordan Jones/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

Following hectic offseason drama surrounding Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers, leading to the trade that ended up bringing The Klaw back to Toronto, the Clippers and Raptors have been in plenty of headlines together. The new eras of both clubs met up on Saturday for the NBA Preseason in Vancouver, where Toronto took down Los Angeles, 114-106.

While Rui Hachimura continued to prove that he plans to have an offensive breakout year with LA this season, putting up 14 points, the Raptors, in large part, relied on RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, who are attempting to prove they can be valuable role players around Kawhi and Scottie. In 23 minutes, Barrett put up 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Immanuel Quickley had 18 points in 19 minutes, with a respectable 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Colin Murray-Boyles was a leading offensive leader as well, going into the second half with 9 points. CMB is a special defensive player, but if he can continue to work on his offensive game, the sky’s the limit.

The Raptors played some of their best basketball in the first quarter, holding the Clippers to only 18 points as a team. A player who got fans riled up, many of whom have never even heard his name before — Nimari Burnett — made fans loud when he hit a corner three that bounced off the backboard before landing home late in the first quarter. Burnett, the 6’5” undrafted player from this year’s 2026 draft class on an Exhibit 10 contract with the Raptors, put up 10 points on 4 of 6 shooting from the field and 2 of 3 from three-point range. 

Nimari Burnett just paid homage to Kawhi Leonard lol. pic.twitter.com/59F7gTM9yZ

— Pensare Basketball (@PensareBBall) October 10, 2026

Burnett’s surprise performance was a nice boost for the team in the first quarter, but the team’s offence definitely picked up speed starting the second quarter. Barnes asserted his presence in the paint, especially evident through his 10 rebounds. The new Raptor, Kyle Anderson, was scoreless in his offensively lackluster performance; however, he made great heads-up defense and even passing plays, like his touch pass to Jakob Poeltl late in the second quarter. The ball movement in general last night was mesmerizing and quite clean, with only 15 turnovers compared to Los Angeles’ 20. Regarding Poeltl, all his buckets came from nice positioning on the court. However, he only had 9 points, 3 of which came from his 3 out of 6 performance from the free-throw line. Poeltl continues to seem not present enough to be the centre of this basketball team, especially only ending the night with 4 rebounds.

Another player with a noteworthy performance was Jamal Shead. In 19 minutes, he scored 13 points and 2 assists, and displayed nothing but good defence. His steal around the 4-minute mark in the second quarter, leading to a pass straight to Jaden Bradley — who had a productive game himself — is an example of his incredibly high basketball IQ.

The game culminated in a slight slump from the Raptors in the second half of the game, but they got the job done. The preseason has been more than a valuable experience for the Raptors to find out who will fit on this team and what their roles will be.