Thomas tallies 17 points in season debut, Cavs snap 3-game losing streak; Three takeaways

CLEVELAND – A new year yields an opportunity to reflect, regroup and turn the page toward a clean slate.

The return of Isaiah Thomas made the inception of 2018 that much sweeter.

After losing four of five games throughout arguably their worst stretch of the season, the Cavaliers started January with a 127-110 win over the Trail Blazers on Tuesday evening at Quicken Loans Arena.

Thomas injected life into his struggling team, scoring 17 points and dishing out three assists over 18 minutes, 56 seconds of playing time. LeBron James maintained his premier form, posting 24 points, six rebounds and eight assists, while Kevin Love and Jae Crowder recorded 19 and 17 points respectively.

Damian Lillard logged his first action dating back to Dec. 20, notching a game-high 25 points. His right hamstring strain did not play a factor in the hard-fought effort. Jusuf Nurkic rounded out the main contributors with 23 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

The Cavs’ bench outscored Portland’s second unit by a whopping margin, 61-23.

Here are three takeaways from the Wine and Gold’s first game of 2018…

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