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Amen Thompson’s Sweet Game-Winning Tip-in Saved Kevin Durant’s Historic Night vs. Heat

Brigid Kennedy|
Thompson's tip-in capped a 123-122 win for the Rockets.
Thompson's tip-in capped a 123-122 win for the Rockets. | Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images

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Houston RocketsMiami Heat

Very few people had as great of a weekend as Kevin Durant.

Not only did the Rockets forward surpass NBA great Michael Jordan on the NBA's all-time scoring list on Saturday, but his nearly-blown go-ahead buzzer-beater was tipped in by teammate Amen Thompson, lifting Houston over Miami for a 123–122 home victory.

The Rockets had lost their tight one-point lead just moments prior to the thrilling finish. With the clock at 5.4 seconds, Durant caught an inbound pass from Thompson and pulled up inside the arc to attempt a game-winning jump shot over Bam Adebayo.

The ball bounced off the rim and was headed to the ground ... until, almost as if out of nowhere, an incredibly clutch Thompson (who had already been having an excellent game, mind you) flew into the air for the tip-in and saved the day. The Rockets took it, 123–122.

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It was one of those goosebump-inducing moments that you just have to watch, and with sound if you can. The call is great, the arena’s reaction is electric, and you can tell how pumped up the players are down on the court.

"Amen was ... man, way to save the day right there," KD said on the court postgame, with a smile on his face. "Man, he just came out of nowhere, win the game for us. Eighteen rebounds, 24 points, man. Proud of him."

A bit later, Durant admitted it would have been hard to come out of that game with a loss.

"It would have been tough, man, no lie, if we came back to this locker room with a L, so. Twin saved the day," Durant added of Thompson. "I remember him saying when I hit that game-winner against that team from the desert, he said that was his favorite moment as a Rocket. And I was like, nah, this gotta be the one now."

Vibes were definitely high postgame. For one, the team gave Durant a customary water bottle shower (his first-ever, apparently), and coach Ime Udoka awarded him the game ball. And as for surpassing Jordan, well, the Slim Reaper was pretty pumped up about that, too.

“I got more to go, but it is pretty sweet to be in the same category with the greats. Like I’ve said, a lot of these guys have inspired me to come out here and work on my game as much as I can,”he said of the achievement. “I’ve been inspired by all these players that I'm either coming close to or passing up. MJ is in a world of his own. He’s in a planet, galaxy of his own. Somebody that I look up to, respect, who has basically shaped the game for me.”

Congratulations, KD. The future Hall of Famer will now have Sunday to relish in his achievement before the Rockets take on the Bulls on Monday at 8 p.m. ET.

NBA all-time scoring leaders

With his 27 points on Saturday, Durant is now No. 5 on the NBA's regular-season scoring list, clocking in at 32,293. Jordan is just below him, with 32,292 points, while late Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (33,643) is just above. Rounding out the top five are No. 3 Karl Malone (36,928), No. 2 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) and No. 1 LeBron James (43,241).

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Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.

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