Isaiah Thomas: 'I didn't think I'd play as well as I did' in Cavs debut

Isaiah Thomas' first game of the season fared much better than he expected it would.

In his first appearance since bowing out of the playoffs last season with the Boston Celtics due to a hip injury, Thomas scored 17 points and contributed three assists Tuesday to help the Cleveland Cavaliers defeat the Portland Trail Blazers, 127-110.

While he won't disregard that kind of production, the diminutive point guard was candid about his pregame expectations following the win.

"I didn't think I'd play as well as I did," he said postgame, according to WKYC's Ben Axelrod.

Related: 3 takeaways from Isaiah Thomas' Cavaliers debut

Thomas shot 50 percent from the field, including 3-of-8 from 3-point range, and finished a plus-17 in 19 minutes. His confidence didn't seem to wane during his time on the sidelines either, as he dropped an impressive no-look pass and picked up a technical foul during the outing.

Perhaps most memorably, however, was how the Cavaliers fans welcomed him back, serenading him with a standing ovation as he checked into the game with 4:33 left in the first quarter. While not even LeBron James knew what to expect from Thomas, the forward predicted a warm reception from the Quicken Loans Arena crowd was a near certainty.

"The only thing I knew was what was going to happen when he came in, that these fans would give him the ovation he had been waiting on and that he deserved," James said.

Because of a restriction on playing back-to-backs, Thomas won't suit up for Cleveland's game Wednesday when they take on his former team, the Celtics.