In the Phoenix Suns’ easy victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, two-time All-Star, one-time All-NBA Second Teamer, and top-five MVP candidate Isaiah Thomas made his NBA comeback. The Suns benched Thomas for the entirety of today’s garbage time, with the exception of 1:48, following his agreement to a 10-day contract.
The game was over. Due to the absence of Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and De’Anthony Melton, Philadelphia was the underdog on the road. Phoenix emerged victorious, 115–102.
Thomas went 0 for 1 in the contest after missing a layup. Nassir Little, a deep-bench forward, received one assist. Live footage captured by Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic:
In his first NBA season since 2021–2022, Thomas is splitting time between the Lakers, Mavericks, and Hornets. All three teams offered him 10-day contracts, but the Hornets gave him a contract that would allow him to play until the end of the season. Phoenix immediately signed Thomas after he impressed the G League team of the Utah Jazz, the Salt Lake City Stars.
Compared to the days of the Celtics All-Stars, his night was simple. Between 2015 and 2017, he averaged 25.5 points, 6.1 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and one steal while shooting 446/.371/.892. A hip problem caused the 5’9″ point guard to slow down and lose agility. It’s thrilling to see him again. In 46 Phoenix Suns games (one start) in 2014–15, Thomas averaged 15.2 points, 3.7 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and a steal prior to his injury.
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According to Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports, Thomas feels that his return to the Phoenix Suns is the beginning of his NBA career. The franchise pays him $183,704 annually. Future objectives include increasing income and security.
“I want to play a few more years in the league, so hopefully this is a setup for that,” he said. Whenever possible, I would like to make a change. Playing is more important than scoring. I can offer support, direction, and illustrations.”
Prior to tonight’s game, Frank Vogel did not guarantee that he would keep Thomas after his contract expired. Thomas joined Phoenix with four games remaining, replacing two-way guard Saben Lee. Lee also needs to be on the Suns’ 15-man roster.
“[Thomas is] a very well-liked, respected guy in this league, in this NBA player fraternity, but we’re going to see where his game is at,” he stated. How much will he play for us? Nobody knows. With four games remaining, Saben Lee adds further complexity.”
According to Basketball Forever, he received a lot of love from the crowd tonight. was outstanding. He relished the attention.
The night’s major narrative wasn’t Thomas’s cameo. O’Neal’s career regular-season scoring record was surpassed by Durant. He finished with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists on 10 of 18 field goal attempts. With 28,610 points in the regular season, he ranks ninth in NBA/ABA history and seventh in NBA history.
The Phoenix Suns’ top scorer, Grayson Allen, finished with 32 points on 10-of-17 (10-of-15) three-point range shots and 3-of-4 foul line attempts. With a 48.3% three-point conversion rate on 5.9 attempts, Allen leads the league. The Sixers’ point guard, Tyrese Maxey, was only able to score six points on three out of thirteen shots against the Suns.
Phoenix improves to 40-29 with the victory, but they are still ninth in the tough Western Conference (they would be sixth in the East). The sixth-seeded Sacramento Kings are ahead of the Suns by 0.5 games as they attempt to avoid the play-in bracket (seeds 7–10). If given more opportunities, Thomas could contribute to this team’s run total by coming off the bench. It’s nice to see you once more!
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