Isaiah Thomas is back, and Cavaliers fans should be excited.
Making his Cavs debut after missing more than two months with a hip injury, Thomas came off the bench to score 17 points with three assists in just 19 minutes in a 127-110 win over the Trail Blazers.
LeBron James led the Cavs' balanced scoring attack with 24 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Six Cavs reached double figures Tuesday, including Kevin Love's 19 points and seven rebounds.
Cleveland outscored the Trail Blazers 31-13 in nine minutes with Thomas on the court and James on the bench. That sort of dynamic will give Tyronn Lue plenty of flexibility with lineups. The Cavs once again have two elite offensive weapons that can carry the scoring for bursts.
Damian Lillard returned for the Trail Blazers after a five-game absence due to a hamstring injury to score a game-high 25 points with six assists. Portland has now lost two of its last three games, but remain in the playoff picture in the West.
Stud of the Night:
Spurs star Kawhi Leonard scored a season-high 25 points in a season-high 31 minutes, leading San Antonio to a 100-91 win over the Knicks. Leonard also had eight rebounds, four assists and four steals, proving he's nearly back to All-Star form.
Dud of the Night:
The Suns' search for a point guard since Eric Bledsoe's departure hasn't been going well, and Tyler Ulis proved Tuesday in a 104-103 win over the Hawks that he's likely not the answer. Ulis scored just four points in 24 minutes with five assists and three turnovers. The Suns are young, and Devin Booker is an elite scorer, but they need a leader to run their offense to consistently contend.
Highlights:
Manu Ginobili hits a crazy 3-pointer, and the officials and Knicks don't even realize he scored:
Manu's shot was so incredible, the ref's didn't believe it went in 😂 pic.twitter.com/iuQtSYVa7D
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 3, 2018
Willie Cauley-Stein with the emphatic slam:
Cauley-Stein gets up for the one-handed slam!#SacramentoProud pic.twitter.com/mX4NtNMPjp
— NBA (@NBA) January 3, 2018
What's Next:
Cavaliers (25-12) at Celtics (30-10) 8 p.m. ET — Just back in action, Thomas will head back to Boston where he became a star. The Celtics, despite a myriad of injury woes, have won three straight games to remain atop the Eastern Conference standings. The Cavs now have their full arsenal and look set to do some damage.