Rookie steps up in Cleveland win
Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Meleek Thomas made a big impact in his NBA debut on Monday night. The 20 year old guard scored 16 points in 19 minutes to help Cleveland pull off a 127-125 overtime victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Thomas sat out Cleveland's first two games against Philadelphia and Brooklyn due to matchup choices. Coach Kenny Atkinson brought him on to serve as a third ball handler alongside Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. Thomas subbed in for Peyton Watson late in the first quarter, missed his first shot, but quickly found his rhythm. He scored 10 points in the first half to lead the team at the break.
Spark off the bench
Thomas finished 6 of 10 from the field, including 4 of 5 on 3 pointers, while adding two rebounds and one steal. It was the second highest scoring debut by a Cavaliers rookie coming off the bench, behind only Brevin Knight who scored 18 points in October 1997.
Cleveland trailed by 15 points in the first half before fighting back in the third quarter. Mitchell scored 25 points to lead the Cavaliers and praised the rookie after the match. Mitchell said it is not normal for a rookie to provide that kind of spark in his first game of the year. Atkinson also noted that the team has been confident in Thomas since drafting him 34th overall out of Arkansas.
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