Isaiah Thomas records career-high 15 assists after having zero in 52-point game
The Celtics star seemed like he had a point to prove on Tuesday
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1 min read
After scoring a career-high 52 points on Friday against the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas made fun of himself for finishing the game without a single assist. He took a bit of criticism for it, too, and it looks like he went into his next game with a point to prove. In a 115-104 win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, Thomas was once again brilliant, but he did things a different way. This time, he had a career-high 15 assists to go with his game-high 29 points.
This isn't quite James Harden scoring 53 points, dishing 17 assists and grabbing 16 rebounds in the same game, a feat the Houston Rockets guard accomplished a day after Thomas' explosion against the Heat. It's notable, though, because it suggests that Thomas can put up big assist numbers when he puts his mind to it. He has always been a scoring point guard, but when he gets into the paint and draws in defenders, he can find open teammates with relative ease.
The Jazz were on the second night of a back-to-back and without starting point guard George Hill. This doesn't, however, invalidate the fact that Thomas totally took them apart. The Celtics scored 126.9 points per 100 possessions against the second-best defensive team in the league, and he was the guy running the show. Thomas shot 10-for-18, including 5-for-8 from 3-point range, and -- perhaps most impressive of all! -- only turned the ball over once in 35 minutes. He is playing the best basketball of his life, and Boston has won eight of its last 10 games.
