When the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Isaiah Thomas in their offseason deal with the Boston Celtics, they knew it would be a while before the crafty ball-handler would be well enough to play, as he was still recovering from the hip injury he sustained in last season’s Eastern Conference playoffs. The former Washington Huskies stand-out made his debut earlier this month in a 127-110 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, scoring 17 points in 19 minutes of action. He’s struggled a bit since then, but Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant says the 5-9 dynamo deserves more time to regain his top form.
“You still can’t tell,” Durant replied. “IT is just getting back. He hasn’t played in 7 months, so you gotta give him some time. I know exactly how that feels, especially being thrown in right in the middle of the season, starting, and playing thirty-plus minutes now after his third or fourth game.
“I know it’s going to take a while to get into a comfortable groove here,” Durant continued. “It’s a new system for him, so I don’t think this game was any indication of what’s going to happen with this team down the line.
“They’re gonna be much better than they are now, and we all know that.”
All valid points from Durant.
The Cavs actually led the Warriors by seven points at halftime, but poor shooting in the fourth quarter led to their defeat.
“It seemed like the rim just got smaller and smaller,” LeBron James told Fox Sports. “But I like our effort. If we continue that going into our next few games, then I like where we are.”
Thomas, now 28 years of age, finished Monday night’s game with 19 points on 8-21 shooting from the field (1-7 from beyond the arc) and four assists in 32 minutes of action.
Thomas and the Cavs, losers in nine of their last 12 games, will be back in action on Thursday night as they are scheduled to host the Orlando Magic inside Quicken Loans Arena. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. EST with Fox Sports Ohio and Fox Sports Florida having live broadcast coverage.