Isaiah Thomas knows what it's like to succeed in the NBA, but Denver Nuggets fans aren't as accustomed to the experience of meaningful success.

After five consecutive seasons of missing the playoffs, the Nuggets have emerged as one of the league's best in 2018-19, capitalizing on ample potential many fans assumed would never be realized. Given that element of skepticism, plus the football-crazed city of Denver's large-scale antipathy toward the Nuggets over the years, it makes sense that at least some in attendance for the Nuggets' impressive 121-112 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder didn't know how to react.

Case in point: A fan traded verbal barbs with Denver guard Isaiah Thomas, apparently during Tuesday night's game.

Yikes.

Thomas is a fan favorite across the league after rising to MVP contention in 2017 at 5-foot-9, but he has barely had the chance to endear himself to Nuggets fans since signing with the team last summer. His rough 2017-18 season was cut short for good when he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right hip, an injury that had caused him to miss all of November and December in that same season.

The 30-year-old Thomas made his Denver debut two weeks ago, sitting out the first three months of 2018-19 as he continued recovering from injury. Thomas has scored in double figures for three consecutive games while coming off the bench, including his 11-point effort in just 15 minutes of court time against the Thunder. It still remains to be seen how much he'll play, especially in the postseason, considering the improving health of starting shooting guard Gary Harris and the breakout season of backup point guard Monte Morris.