Isaiah Thomas gets standing ovation in debut with Denver Nuggets - He's Back!


Former Celtics star, Isaiah Thomas, had a successful debut with his new team, the Denver Nuggets. He entered the game to a thunderous standing ovation and ended up with eight points in 13 minutes of play - hitting 3-of-6 on field goals and 2-of-5 from 3-point land. But most of all, he looked healthy for the first time in memory.



Isaiah also passed off for two assists in the 120-118 Denver win (per NBA's Pat Graham):

Thomas proclaimed his surgically repaired hip good to go prior to the game and was anxious to step back onto the court. He received a standing ovation when he entered the game late in the first quarter.

The 30-year-old Thomas showed flashes of his talent in shaking off some rust. He played 13 minutes and scored eight points - all in the third quarter - in his first NBA game since March 22 when he was with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Nuggets signed the two-time All-Star to a one-year deal in the offseason and gave him plenty of space to recover from his hip operation.

Thomas scored his first basket of the season on a 3-pointer with 2:16 left in the third quarter. Moments later, he drained another 3-pointer that gave Denver its first lead since early in the game.

''When my name is called, I'm going to always be ready,'' Thomas said. ''When I'm in the game, I'm going to make it hard for the coach to take me out.''

"Make it hard for the coach to take me out". That sounds like Isaiah, all right! He is back.

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Photo via Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

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