After missing months of action due to a hip injury he aggravated in last season’s Eastern Conference Playoffs, Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Isaiah Thomas made his long-awaited debut on Tuesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Thomas, now 28 years of age, took the hardwood inside Quicken Loans Arena to a standing ovation. With just over one minute remaining in the first quarter, the crafty ball-handler knocked down his first two points in a Cavs uniform. He didn’t stop there, though. The former Washington Huskies stand-out went on to record 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting from field (3-of-8 from from beyond the arc) and three assists in his 17 minutes of playing time. When the final horn blew inside The Q, the Cavs had snapped their three-game losing skid by way of a 127-110 victory.
Believe it or not, the Cavs outscored the Trail Blazers 31-13 in the nine minutes when Isaiah Thomas was on the floor without LeBron James, who turned in 24 points, eight assists, six rebounds, four steals, and one block in Tuesday night’s game.
Thomas, no doubt feeling the love, sent out a pair of tweets following Cleveland’s win over Portland.
https://twitter.com/isaiahthomas/status/948421011518689280
https://twitter.com/isaiahthomas/status/948421917727444993
Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue has previously stated that Thomas will not participate in back-to-back sets just yet, which rules him out for Wednesday’s game in Boston against the Celtics. The 5-9 dynamo should be back in action on Saturday night in Orlando. In the meantime, have a go at his highlights from Tuesday night’s game.