DeRozan gets 1st career triple-double vs. ex-team
In their first meeting since being traded for each other, DeMar DeRozan records a triple-double as the Spurs rout Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors 125-107. (1:26)
SAN ANTONIO — DeMar DeRozan said going into Thursday night’s Raptors–Spurs matchup that he had “wanted to break every single record that was there” for Toronto.
The problem is, DeRozan is now with San Antonio. And he made a bold statement by notching his first career triple-double in his first meeting against the Raptors, with whom he spent his first nine NBA seasons. He had 24 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in the Spurs’ 125-107 victory, which also saw Kawhi Leonard return to San Antonio for the first time since the teams pulled off the blockbuster trade that landed the players at their respective locales.
Kawhi Leonard’s return to face the Spurs was met with the expected reaction — loud boos from the moment he took the court for pregame warm-ups.
“I told him it was about time,” coach Gregg Popovich said.
DeRozan became the first Spurs player to record a triple-double at home since 2003, when Tim Duncan accomplished the feat. DeRozan also became just the fourth Spur under Popovich to log a triple-double, joining Tony Parker, Pau Gasol and Duncan.
DeRozan is just the 13th player in Spurs history to produce a triple-double, and it marked the 43rd time that milestone had been reached in San Antonio franchise history.
DeRozan is just the fifth player in NBA history to post a triple-double in his first game against a former team, according to research from Elias Sports Bureau. DeRozan is the second player in NBA history with a 20-point triple-double in his first game against a former team, according to Elias, joining Guy Rodgers on Oct. 18, 1966, against the Golden State Warriors.