As he entered a game for the first time as a member of the Cavaliers, Isaiah Thomas was greeted with a standing ovation by the sellout crowd at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland on Tuesday night.

Thomas, the All-Star guard who was acquired in a trade with the Boston Celtics this off-season, showed flashes of his former, brilliant self in his return from a hip injury. He threw crisp passes, fought his way to the basket, drew a technical foul for arguing and threw up five shots in his first five minutes on the court. His return helped put an end to Cleveland’s three-game losing streak as the Cavaliers beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 127-110.

Ending the losing streak was a nice bonus, but the return of Thomas, who averaged a career-best 28.9 points for Boston last season, was a moment the Cleveland fan base had been waiting for all season. Thomas, who checked in 4 minutes and 33 seconds into the game, was limited to 19 minutes but performed well in that short amount of time, with 17 points on 6 of 12 shooting, along with three assists.

He looked a bit uncomfortable, missing his first two shots, and he seemed perhaps a step slower than normal, but the Cavaliers outscored the Trail Blazers by 17 points with him on the court.