Lakers Lose to Mavericks Despite 22 Bench Points from Isaiah Thomas in LA Debut

Isaiah Thomas looked right at home with the Los Angeles Lakers, scoring 22 points and dishing out six assists off the bench in Saturday's 130-123 loss against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center.

Two days after being dealt by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Thomas looked more like the player who finished fifth in NBA MVP voting last season than the one who struggled to fit in with the defending Eastern Conference champions.

After waiting until midway through the first quarter to make his Lakers debut, Thomas' first shot was good from three-point range:

Per Lakers reporter Joey Ramirez, the Cavs only had Thomas attempt seven shots off screen plays. He was at his best with the Boston Celtics last season on pick-and-roll plays and in isolation, averaging 1.1 points per play in the latter situation, per The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor.

The Lakers found a way to take advantage of what Thomas does best, at least for one night. He finished 7-of-12 from the field, with his 58.3 shooting percentage marking a season high.

Thomas was doing more than sitting behind the three-point line. He attacked the basket in the fourth quarter with a contested layup that tied the score at 105:

Lonzo Ball, who is still out with a knee injury, was unable to contain his excitement when Thomas helped engineer a 7-0 run in the second quarter, via Mike Trudell of ESPN 710:

Even Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman took notice of Thomas' outstanding Lakers debut:

Prior to the game, Thomas noted he would prefer to start but understands why head coach Luke Walton wanted to ease him into the rotation.

"Yes, I would love to be a starter," he said, via ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "I feel like I deserve that and earned that. But at the same time, it's a new chapter for me. I am here to help this team, help these young guys, continue to be professional, continue to work hard and continue to gel together."

From an efficiency standpoint, this was easily Thomas' best game of the season. His 1.83 points per field-goal attempt was his second-best rate of the season, beaten only by his 1.9 mark during a Jan. 30 game against the Detroit Pistons.

The Lakers are still a work-in-progress, and things will get even more crowded when Ball returns to the lineup. Thomas' comfort level in the offense is a huge win for the team as it tries to end the season on a strong note.

This was a perfect debut for Thomas, proving he is still capable of playing at a high level in the right situation. Free agency is looming this summer, so finishing strong over the final two months will go a long way toward helping him obtain a lucrative contract from a team.