BOSTON -- Isaiah Thomas was right.
The Washington Wizards guard said earlier in the week he expected to hear cheers from Celtics fans at TD Garden on Wednesday in his return to Boston.
Thomas heard those cheers and then some, receiving a strong ovation from the Boston crowd when he was introduced as Washington's starting point guard.
Thomas also caught up with old friend Marcus Smart and other Celtics teammates before the game.
The 30-year-old became a fan favorite in his two-plus seasons in Boston from 2015 to 2017, earning a place in Celtics lore with an incredible 2016-17 campaign capped by Boston's run to the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals.
Thomas has played in Boston once since leaving in the 2017 offseason but saw just seven minutes of action and didn't score in the Denver Nuggets' March 2018 game against the Celtics.
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He's very much involved for the Wizards this season, though, averaging 13.2 points per game and starting in Washington's past three contests.
Don’t miss NBC Sports Boston's coverage of Celtics-Warriors, which tips off Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET with Celtics Pregame Live, and then Mike & Scal have the call of the game at 10:30 p.m. You can also stream the game through the MyTeams App.