They meet again.
On Monday, DeMar DeRozan will face the Toronto Raptors for the seventh time in his career. The previous six matchups came when he was a member of the San Antonio Spurs, making this his first time taking on his former team with the Chicago Bulls.
The Raptors selected DeRozan with the No. 9 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. He spent nine seasons with the franchise, earning four All-Star and two All-NBA selections. NBA.com's Carlan Gay ranked him as the third-best Raptor of all time.
DeRozan enters Monday's contest with averages of 21.5 points, 8.2 assists and 6.8 rebounds against the Raptors.
How has DeMar DeRozan played against the Raptors?
Jan. 3, 2019 — Making it count
DeRozan's first game against the Raptors was one to remember.
Not only did the Spurs blow out the Raptors in a nationally televised game in the United States, winning by a final score of 125-107, but DeRozan recorded his first career triple-double.
In 33 minutes of play, DeRozan posted 21 points on 7-for-15 shooting from the field and a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line to go along with a career-best 14 rebounds and 11 assists.
"It really wasn't [anything]," DeRozan said after the game. "It was extremely fun going out there talking mess to my old teammates. But there wasn't [any] emotions, wasn't emotional at all for me. It was just a fun game."
🔥 @DeMar_DeRozan notches his 1st career triple-double with 21 PTS, 14 REB, 11 AST in the @spurs home victory! #GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/BcNEX0Abqn
— NBA (@NBA) January 4, 2019
This game also marked Kawhi Leonard's first game in San Antonio since the blockbuster trade. He finished with 21 points, five assists and one rebound in 32 minutes of play.
Feb. 22, 2019 — Down to the wire
DeRozan's second game against the Raptors was much closer.
DeRozan had another strong performance, leading the Spurs in scoring with 23 points while dishing out a team-high eight assists, but he committed a crucial turnover in the game's closing seconds that helped the Raptors walk away with the 120-117 win.
Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard double team DeMar DeRozan and Leonard comes up with the steal and the slam!! pic.twitter.com/mhsVIUeGbF
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) February 23, 2019
Leonard led the Raptors in scoring with 25 points on 8-for-23 shooting from the field.
Jan. 12, 2020 — A game of runs
Another thriller, this time ending in a Spurs victory.
Trailing 82-69 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Spurs outscored the Raptors 36-22 in the final frame to escape with the 105-104 win.
DeRozan led the Spurs in scoring with 25 points, 22 of which came in the second half. He scored 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the third quarter, followed by eight points on 1-for-2 shooting from the field and 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the fourth.
DeRozan had one of the best plays of his career in the third quarter, throwing down a powerful one-handed dunk on Raptors big man Chris Boucher.
DEMAR 😱 DEROZAN #GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/is72V9ryYb
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 13, 2020
Jan. 26, 2020 — For Kobe
This one was bigger than basketball.
On the day NBA legend Kobe Bryant passed away in a helicopter crash, DeRozan shared a moment with his former teammates before the game.
Born and raised in Compton, California, DeRozan grew up idolizing Bryant. The five-time champion even served as a mentor to DeRozan.
"I know how much he meant to me, so multiply that times a million for somebody like DeMar," Raptors guard Fred VanVleet told reporters postgame. "You just try to hug your brother in that moment and move on."
DeMar DeRozan and some of the @Raptors share a moment during warmups. pic.twitter.com/BXDWGRzWgK
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 26, 2020
DeRozan finished with 14 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
Dec. 26, 2020 — Coming up clutch
DeRozan came up big when it mattered the most in the first meeting between the Spurs and Raptors last season, scoring 10 of his team-high 27 points in the fourth quarter.
Most surprising of all? DeRozan got rolling from 3-point range, making a season-high three 3-pointers in the game, two of which came in the clutch.
DeRozan went a combined 0-for-1 from 3-point range in his first four career matchups with the Raptors.
DeMar DeRozan finished with 27 PTS, 3 3PT, 8 AST, 5 REB & 2 STL in the Spurs win over his former club! pic.twitter.com/sfwPKHRwD8
— NBA Canada (@NBACanada) December 27, 2020
April 14, 2021 — A double-double
The most recent matchup between DeRozan and the Raptors saw him post a double-double with 19 points and 11 assists.
It was an efficient night for DeRozan, who shot 6-for-11 from the field and 7-for-9 from the free throw line, but it wasn't quite enough, as the Spurs fell to the Raptors by a final score of 117-112.
Pascal Siakam led the way for the Raptors, scoring eight of his 20 points in the final period.
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