Thomas after win over Cavs: 'Nobody holds me in check'

What Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas lacks in size, he makes up for in confidence and ability, and dropping 31 points on the reigning NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night proved once again that the season he's having in Beantown is no fluke.

Following his team's hotly contested 103-99 victory over Cleveland, it was implied to Thomas by a reporter that the opposition kept him in check for the better part of the fourth quarter. The league's leader in fourth-quarter scoring only had one field goal during that period, albeit an extremely important one.

Nonetheless, the 28-year-old seemed offended by the notion that anyone in the Association could prevent him from making an impact when it matters most.

"Nobody holds me in check. Don't say that," Thomas said. "I made plays. I average 30 points for a season. I made plays.

"They double me, I pass it to Jae (Crowder), he hit a shot. I pass it to Avery (Bradley). I believe in my teammates. Then I hit a 3-pointer where they miscommunicated on their coverage. My job every day, no matter what the defense throws at me, is to make plays, score the ball, and I try to do that to the best of my ability."

Along with his 31 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the field, 3-of-9 from behind the arc, and 8-of-12 from the charity stripe, Thomas contributed five assists, two rebounds, and a pair of steals in 34 minutes.

He entered the night ranked second in scoring with 29.6 points per game for the now 39-22 Celtics, who are three games back of the Cavaliers for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.