Heat-Raptors Canada Game Features Giannis’ Miami Debut, Kawhi’s Toronto Return

Preseason opens Saturday night in Québec City with two franchises arriving under a different kind of spotlight. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s first possible appearance for Miami and Kawhi Leonard’s return to Toronto headline the Heat-Raptors NBA Canada Game, scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on NBA TV.

Saturday in Québec City: new star pairings take the floor

Miami is beginning the Antetokounmpo era after his 13-season run in Milwaukee, a stretch that included the Bucks’ 2021 championship and two MVP awards. His early work with Bam Adebayo has put the Heat’s frontcourt partnership at the center of camp.

Adebayo, a three-time All-Star and six-time All-Defensive Team selection, said Antetokounmpo’s day-to-day approach has stood out.

“He is intentional with his workouts,” Adebayo said. “I like being around people with intention because you are working toward something. The way he approaches basketball and training is on the same wavelength as me, and that alone can help guys connect.”

Antetokounmpo returned the praise for Adebayo’s two-way workload, calling him one of the league’s best players on both ends and noting that he “never takes days off.” The stakes, in his view, are straightforward: “I do not care about being the best player. I care about being a winner.”

Toronto gets its own reunion. Leonard led the Raptors to the only championship in franchise history in 2019, and now the two-time Finals MVP joins Scottie Barnes after a season in which Toronto posted 46 wins, its highest total in four years. The Raptors finished fifth in defensive rating before Cleveland eliminated them in a seven-game first-round series.

Barnes averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists last season. He was also the NBA’s only player with at least 100 blocks and 100 steals.

Leonard said he sees a natural fit in a young Toronto group that already defends, pushes the ball and plays with an edge. “The team was amazing last year, led by Scottie,” Leonard said. “They defend first and get out in transition. I think I can benefit from that.” His own objective is just as blunt: “I need pressure. I want to win.”

Sunday’s preseason double feature

1. The Jazz and Nuggets meet Sunday at the CU Events Center in Boulder, Colorado, at 7 p.m. ET on NBA TV. Utah could give No. 2 overall pick Darryn Peterson his first preseason run.

2. Peterson, 19, came through Kansas as a consensus five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American, then led the Jayhawks at 20.2 points per game as a freshman. He followed that with 23 points per game in five Summer League appearances.

3. Utah veterans have been struck by more than the scoring package. Jusuf Nurkić said he had not seen a rookie arrive so mature in his 13 NBA seasons, praising Peterson’s coachability and desire to learn. Keyonte George pointed to the same humility, especially for a high draft pick.

4. George enters his fourth season after lifting his scoring average in each of his first three years, reaching 23.6 points per game last season. The Jazz’s young guard group now sits alongside All-Star bigs Jaren Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen, with Jackson entering his first full Utah campaign.

5. Denver brings back its championship core of Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, now set for a seventh season together. The Nuggets lost Peyton Watson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown in the offseason, but added six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan to replace some of that scoring.

6. Jokić logged an NBA-leading 34 triple-doubles last season and averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists, leading the league in both rebounds and assists per game. Denver’s first-round loss to Minnesota was its earliest playoff exit since 2022.

“We still have the capability and opportunity to compete at a high level and win a championship,” Jokić said. “For me, it is legacy. You want to be legendary.” DeRozan said the formula starts with his new teammate: “When you have the best player in the world, anything is possible.”

Also Sunday, Golden State plays the Clippers in Honolulu at 7 p.m. ET on League Pass. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are entering their 15th season together, a partnership that has delivered four titles but also watched the Warriors miss the postseason twice in the past three years.

Curry, entering Year 18 after agreeing last week to a two-year extension, said the standard remains personal in the Bay Area. “This is home. This is what we built,” he said. “There is pride in representing the Bay and this franchise. I want to do right by that.”

Golden State will be without Jimmy Butler III as he recovers from knee surgery, while Kristaps Porziņģis is sidelined indefinitely by a health issue. That could create an early opening for No. 11 pick Yaxel Lendeborg, who arrives after winning a national title at Michigan and taking Summer League MVP honors.

Curry liked what he saw immediately from the rookie, describing Lendeborg as a winner with feel, size, a reliable early shooting touch and a willingness to make the correct read.

The Clippers are opening a new chapter after the exits of James Harden and Leonard. Fifth overall pick Keaton Wagler could debut alongside Darius Garland, the club’s leading returning scorer and himself a former No. 5 selection.

Garland said Wagler has been eager to learn, adding that their conversations go both directions because they have shared the experience of arriving as a top-five pick. The backcourt may carry added responsibility while Brandon Ingram recovers from a heel injury. Rui Hachimura, Max Strus and Gradey Dick are among the newcomers giving Los Angeles more rotation options.

“There are a lot of good pieces here,” Garland said. “I think we can surprise a lot of people.”

Monday’s five-game slate

Preseason action expands Monday, with possible first appearances for LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in Philadelphia, plus LaMelo Ball with Minnesota.

The regular season is 18 days away, beginning Oct. 20 with an NBC/Peacock tripleheader.

New voices on three benches

Six teams have new head coaches for 2026-27. Three are experienced NBA coaches stepping into fresh jobs: Taylor Jenkins in Milwaukee after six seasons with Memphis, Jamahl Mosley in New Orleans after five years developing Orlando’s young core, and Tiago Splitter in Chicago after taking Portland to the playoffs as interim coach last season.

• Jenkins said culture cannot remain a slogan, calling it a product of “behaviors and actions” as Milwaukee tries to build its next great era.

• Mosley said New Orleans has dynamic offensive talent, but its ceiling will be set by defensive grit, communication and connectivity.

• Splitter said Chicago must be patient with its young players while establishing its identity, standards and culture.

Elsewhere around the league, All-Star center Jalen Duren has agreed to a reported five-year extension to stay with Detroit.

On the women’s side, A’ja Wilson scored 36 points as Las Vegas beat Caitlin Clark and Indiana 94-83 in a winner-take-all Game 3, sending the Aces into the WNBA semifinals.