Cleveland
Sitting on the scorer’s table, Thomas could see the end of his seventh-month odyssey in front of him. And when the buzzer finally sounded and the Cleveland crowd erupted for a player it barely knows, Thomas took the last few steps onto the court and completed a trip he hopes to never take again.
He was all the way back.
Thomas showed flashes of what made him an All-Star in his long-awaited debut for the Cavaliers, who snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Portland Trail Blazers, 127-110, on Tuesday night.
“It’s been a long journey for me,” Thomas said. “I couldn’t really see the light at the end of the tunnel. For that day to come the first couple days of 2018, it’s going to be a special year.”
It was a special night for Thomas, who scored 17 points and played 19 minutes in his first game in seven months, an impressive return to action for the dynamic point guard traded to Cleveland last summer. He added three 3-pointers and three assists before leaving with 8:10 remaining and the Cavs up by 12.
Before leaving the floor, Thomas got a hug from LeBron James and one from Cavs coach Tyronn Lue, who pulled him close and offered two perfect words.
James scored 24 points, Kevin Love had 19 and Jae Crowder added 15 for the Cavs, who were coming off losses at Golden State, Sacramento and Utah.
Spurs 100, Knicks 91
New York
Manu Ginobili finished with 12 points — three of them coming on what appeared to be a pass that went into the basket without everyone noticing.
Popovich has 1,176 victories, all with the Spurs. The five-time champion broke a tie with his friend George Karl.
Suns 104, Hawks 103
Phoenix
Booker scored eight of his 34 points in the final 37 seconds as the Suns finished with a 15-4 run. T.J. Warren scored 31 and Chriss had 17 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks for Phoenix.
Ersan Ilyasova scored 21 points for Atlanta.
Kent Bazemore and Dennis Schroder added 20 apiece.
Bazemore made 7 of 8 shots, including 4 of 5 3-pointers, but he fouled Booker on a 3-point attempt with the Hawks clinging to a two-point lead.
Booker made all three to put the Suns on top 102-101. Prince then got free for what looked to be an open layup, but Chriss came from the other side of the court to block the shot.
Booker made two more at the line with 6.5 seconds remaining to make it 104-101. With the Hawks needing a 3-pointer to tie it, Schroder instead drove for the layup to cut it to one, but by then there was just a half-second to play and the Suns handed Atlanta its seventh straight road loss.
Atlanta led by as many as 14 in the first half and was up 99-89 after Prince’s inside basket with 2:53 to play.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Atlanta is 3-16 on the road. … The Hawks had won three of four. … Prince has made a 3-pointer in 19 consecutive games. … The Hawks have won two in a row only once this season.
Suns: First-round draft pick Josh Jackson did not play, the first time that’s happened this season. … The Suns have won four of six and six of nine. … Booker scored 17 of Phoenix’s first 30 points but didn’t take a shot in a scoreless third quarter.
UP NEXT
Hawks: at Portland on Friday night.
Suns: at Denver on Wednesday night.
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