Thomas scores 17 in debut with Cavs
CLEVELAND — Isaiah Thomas showed flashes of what made him an AllStar in his long-awaited Cleveland debut as the Cavaliers snapped a three-game losing streak with a 127-110 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Thomas scored 17 points and played 19 minutes in his first game in seven months. Thomas added three 3-pointers and three assists.
LeBron James scored 24 points, Kevin Love had 19, and Jae Crowder added 15 for the Cavs.
Damian Lillard scored 25 for the Blazers after missing five games with a hamstring injury. Jusuf Nurkic added 23, and CJ McCollum had 19 for Portland.
The Cavs were unable to separate from the Blazers until Thomas and Dwyane Wade teamed up in the fourth quarter.
Thomas, who finished 6 of 12 from the field, knocked down a jumper and then fired a pass toward the baseline to a cutting Wade, who made a reverse layup. On Cleveland’s next possession, Thomas spotted up in the corner and buried a 3-pointer to give the Cavs a 100-91 lead.
Thomas hadn’t played since May 19 because of a torn labrum in his hip that ended his 2017 postseason with Boston and threatened to derail his career. Coach Tyronn Lue plans to keep close tabs on Thomas’ minutes over the next few weeks while he builds up stamina and confidence.
SPURS 100, KNICKS 91
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 29 points, Kawhi Leonard had a seasonhigh 25, and San Antonio beat host New York to give Gregg Popovich sole possession of fifth place on the NBA’s coaching wins list.
Popovich has 1,176 victories, all with the Spurs. The five-time champ broke a tie with his friend George Karl.
SUNS 104, HAWKS 103
Devin Booker sank three free throws to take the lead with 12.3 seconds to play as host Phoenix rallied from 10 down in the final 2½ minutes to beat Atlanta.
HORNETS 131, KINGS 111
Dwight Howard had 20 points and eight rebounds, Kemba Walker added 12 points and 10 assists and visiting Charlotte beat Sacramento.
CLIPPERS 113, GRIZZLIES 105
Lou Williams scored 31 points and had six assists off the bench as host Los Angeles beat Memphis.