Amen Thompson Continues Scoring Surge for Rockets

Third-year guard records 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists in Houston's comeback win over New Orleans.

Mar. 14, 2026 at 2:35pm

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Rockets guard Amen Thompson continued his strong play, recording 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists in Friday's 107-105 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Thompson has now scored 20+ points in 3 of his last 4 games, and is averaging 20.0 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 5.0 assists over his last 10 games while shooting 60.3% from the field.

Why it matters

Thompson's emergence as a consistent scoring threat has been a key factor in the Rockets' rise up the Western Conference standings. As the team battles for playoff positioning, Thompson's two-way contributions have been crucial.

The details

In Friday's win, Thompson shot 7-of-15 from the field, 2-of-3 from 3-point range, and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. His late-game defensive play also helped seal the victory, as he forced a critical turnover from Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray in the closing seconds.

  • Over his last 10 games, Thompson is averaging 20.0 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game.
  • In March, Thompson and reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are the only NBA players averaging at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game while shooting at least 60% from the field.
  • Thompson has scored 20+ points in 27 games this season, compared to just 18 such games over his first two seasons combined.

The players

Amen Thompson

A third-year guard for the Houston Rockets who is emerging as a consistent scoring threat and two-way contributor for the team.

Dejounte Murray

A guard for the New Orleans Pelicans who finished with a game-high 35 points in Friday's loss to the Rockets.

Kevin Durant

An All-Star forward for the Houston Rockets who led the team with 32 points in the win over the Pelicans.

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What they’re saying

“I feel like I found my groove, and my next step is being more consistent with it, and doing that all the time.”

— Amen Thompson (Yahoo Sports)

“At the end, I felt like it was our defensive execution that won us the game, honestly.”

— Amen Thompson (Yahoo Sports)

What’s next

The Rockets will host the Lakers in two important games this week, with playoff positioning on the line. Houston needs to win at least one of the two matchups to clinch the head-to-head tiebreaker in the season series.

The takeaway

Amen Thompson's continued development as a scoring threat and two-way player has been a key factor in the Rockets' rise up the Western Conference standings. As the team battles for playoff positioning, Thompson's contributions will be crucial to their success.