Isaiah Thomas had 22 points and six assist in his first game with the Los Angeles Lakers.
"I wanted to bring something to the table," Thomas said. "I felt like I got my powers back playing on this team."
Thomas was dealt by the Cavaliers to the Lakers at the deadline. Thomas struggled in 15 games with Cleveland.
"I was shocked," Thomas said of the trade. "It was a surprise, but at the same time, I am happy to have a new start, I am happy to be here with the Lakers, happy to be with a young team that is exciting, that likes to get up and down. That's my style of play. I am here to help in any way possible. It's a fresh start for me. I am excited.
"It kind of reminds me of the same situation when I got traded to Boston. It was a young team that was thinking rebuild, but we had some different thoughts than that, and we made a push to the playoffs. That is my job: to come to this team and bring that spirit, that fire, that killer's mentality and just understand that we can take advantage of this opportunity that we have [the rest of] the season. It's about winning, and it is about winning right now."