Cleveland Cavaliers are one of the hottest teams in the NBA as they have been winning many games lately. After their 7-point victory over the Washington Wizards, the Cavaliers' win streak improved to five, and this came right after their 13-game win streak. The reigning Eastern Conference champions have won 18 of their last 19 games, and they are now only 1.5 games behind the first-seeded Boston Celtics.
Despite dealing with many problems, the Cavaliers have finally found their groove and they are looking like a championship contender for the first time this season. Things will even get better soon as they are expecting isaiah thomas to return to action. Thomas, who was the third-best scorer in the NBA last season, has not played since the last playoffs, but his Cavaliers debut is just around the corner.
Isaiah Thomas return date
There was a chance of Thomas' return in early December, but it seems that the team decided to give him more time to recover. However, he is targeting early January for his return, so the Cavaliers will be able to use him very soon.
Specifically, the point guard is targeting the first week of January for his return, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical.
The Cavaliers have five more games left in 2017, including the big Christmas game against the Golden State Warriors. They will open 2018 at home as they will host the Portland Trail Blazers. However, their second game of 2018 is very interesting, and that game could be the first game for Isaiah Thomas in a Cavaliers jersey.
On January 3, 2018, the Cavaliers will play against the Celtics in Boston. This will be the second game of a back-to-back, and it might be Thomas' debut. Thomas played for the Celtics for two seasons and he was their best player. However, they decided to trade him to the Cavaliers for Kyrie Irving.
Considering that the guard is targeting the first week of January for his return, it won't be surprising if we see him play against his former team in the Cavs debut.
Thomas reaction'
It seems that Isaiah Thomas didn't like the report by Charania. The point guard used his Twitter account to talk about the "league sources" many NBA insiders use, implying that the report is not true. This could easily mean that Thomas is still ahead of schedule and that he will make a Cavaliers debut this month.
Cavaliers injuries
Beside Isaiah Thomas, the Cleveland Cavaliers are not able to count on two other guards, Derrick Rose and Iman Shumpert. Shumpert recently had a surgery on his knee and he will most likely be out until the All-Star break.
On the other side, Rose is still recovering from his ankle injury, but he may not return to action soon as he might also require a surgery if his ankle doesn't get better.
In addition, the Cavaliers were without Dwyane Wade in their last game, but the shooting guard was just given a night off and he is not injured. Wade is expected to play against the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday night.