Isaiah Thomas will reportedly make his long-awaited return to the court tonight, as the Denver Nuggets host the Sacramento Kings.
Thomas practiced five-on-five with the Nuggets on Tuesday, but he has not played in an NBA game in nearly a year due to a lingering hip injury that required surgery.
Thomas, who turned 30 on February 8, averaged 28.9 points per game for the Boston Celtics in 2016-17, and earned second-team All-NBA honors. He sustained a hip injury that forced him out of the Celtics' 2017 playoff run, and was later traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of the blockbuster Kyrie Irving trade.
At last year's trade deadline, Thomas was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he appeared in just 15 games before ultimately signing a one-year deal with Denver in July.
(Thomas, Torrey Craig, Jamal Murray: Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
Second-year point guard Monte Morris has played extremely well this season, averaging 10.8 points and 3.9 assists per game off the bench, so it will be interesting to see how head coach Mike Malone manages his minutes as Thomas works his way into the Nuggets' rotation.
The Nuggets are currently sitting in second place in the Western Conference with a record of 38-18, just three games back of the surging Golden State Warriors. Denver will host the 30-26 Sacramento Kings tonight at 9pm ET.