Highlights: IT nails three straight 3-pointers in Team USA win

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Isaiah Thomas is looking to return to the NBA. The former Boston Celtics star hasn't signed an NBA contract since being released by the Los Angeles Clippers following a trade from the Washington Wizards in early February of 2020.

But after offseason hip surgery, he was ready to show what he can still make an impact at the NBA level. He's using the qualifiers for the 2022 Americup to try to prove himself, and he got off to a good start in the tournament.

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In Team USA's 93-77 win over the Bahamas, Thomas made his first three shots from behind the arc to give his team the early lead.

Here's a look at the sequence, via USA basketball's official Twitter account.

That certainly was a good way for Thomas to come out of the gate and prove himself. His performance should raise at least some eyebrows across the NBA.

Thomas managed 19 points in Team USA's win, which tied for the team lead with James Nunnally. He did struggle a bit with turnovers -- he had six during the game -- but given that he hadn't played a game in over a year, that was to be expected.

Most importantly, Thomas performed well from beyond the arc. Teams are always looking for 3-point shooting, and Thomas was making a career-high 41.3 percent of his shots from behind the arc with the Wizards last year. So, continuing to perform well in that aspect of the game was certainly good news for him.

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Team USA is 5-0 in Americup qualifying so far. Thomas and the team will look to finish a perfect qualifying campaign on Saturday when they take on Team Mexico at 5 p.m. ET.

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