Boston Celtics star point guard Isaiah Thomas will return to the starting lineup for tonight's game against the Washington Wizards after missing two road games - one in Brooklyn and one in Philadelphia - with a knee bruise. He will be occupying his usual starting point guard role.

According to USA Today, the Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets but lost to the Philadelphia 76ers on the road while Thomas was sidelined. Thomas' return is welcoming news for the Boston Celtics, considering that he's the team's leading scorer, averaging a career-high 29.2 points per game this season to go along with 46.2 percent shooting from the field, including 38.3 percent from deep.

Thomas is also the team's go-to offensive playmaker because of his ability to score along with getting his teammates involved, as evident to hiss 6.0 assists per game stat. Thomas is currently the centerpiece of the Celtics and the team is riding on his leadership on any given night.

It's also not just his overall production, but also his timing and clutch prowess that has been so vital for the Celtics this season. According to NBA.com, Thomas is currently leading the league with 10.1 points per fourth quarter while shooting an impressive 46.9 percent from the floor, which means that the totals of his contributions are not just the result of forced, low-percentage shots.

The Boston Celtics will be getting him back just in time for the final 12 games leading into the playoffs. The Celtics are currently 2.5 games behind the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers for the Number 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, as well as 1.5 games ahead of the trailing Washington Wizards.

Tonight's game against Washington and an April 5 match against Cleveland are two of the most important remaining games that the Celtics will play, so it will be needing Thomas to be in his usual self as it battles for critical postseason positioning.

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