Ranking the top 10 games of the 2018-19 NBA schedule

2. Jan. 3, 2019 — San Antonio Spurs vs. Toronto Raptors (TNT)

This one will be truly fascinating to watch play out. After holding the NBA’s most respected franchise hostage for almost a year, Kawhi Leonard got what he wanted: a trade away from the San Antonio Spurs, setting him up to join an L.A.-based team in free agency next summer.

That kind of drama and player unhappiness just doesn’t happen to the Spurs. It felt like someone was slapping Tim Duncan‘s memory in the face all summer, and despite Leonard being an NBA champion, Finals MVP, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, MVP candidate and All-Star there, you can be guaranteed the fans aren’t going to remember much of that when he shows his face in San Antonio for the first time.

This will be the first meeting between Kawhi’s new team and his old team, which means DeMar DeRozan and the Spurs will be on a mission to show DDR’s old team what a mistake they made. This should be a good matchup, especially since Gregg Popovich led this team to 47 wins last year despite only having Kawhi on the court for nine games.

Can mid-range snipers LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan give the home crowd an emotional statement win? Will Kawhi come in and dominate the organization he was supposed to lead in the post-Duncan era? Will any Spurs fans focus on the good times rather than boo Leonard relentlessly every time he touches the ball?

It’ll be fascinating to watch, and it’s why this is the most anticipated homecoming for the 2018-19 NBA season.