Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore Gave Rockets a 'Huge Boost' vs. Raptors
HOUSTON — Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore have arrived.
The Houston Rockets defeated the Toronto Raptors in a 135-106 blowout victory to close their three-game homestand Friday night. Alperen Şengün had a near triple-double performance with 24 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in the win.
But when the Rockets departed the Toyota Center Friday night, the contributions from the rookie duo were most impressive. And while observing from the sideline, coach Ime Udoka credited their energy for the Rockets' success.
"[They] came in and gave us a huge boost obviously — both of them [were] scoring the ball tonight but also guarding multiple guys and pushing the pace," Udoka said. "That was the difference tonight. They're [Raptors] a team that wants to get out in transition but can get hurt on the other end. When we got stops and got out and ran the last few games it's been a recipe for success."
Rockets forward Amen Thompson dunks against the Toronto Raptors in the third quarter at Toyota Center.
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When Thompson subbed in for Fred VanVleet with 6:06 left in the first quarter, the Rockets held a 14-10 lead over the Raptors. But by the end of the period, Houston's lead extended to 14 points.
Thompson came in and dominated off the bench. He began to change the pace of the game with his speed and gave Şengün another backdoor option read with his athleticism. The highlight between the two parties came at the 3:48 mark of the first quarter when Şengün's bounce pass led to a reverse dunk made by Thompson.
The Rockets ended the first half holding a 66-47 lead. Thompson entered the halftime break scoring 12 of his career-best 19 points on 9 of 11 shooting. But as great as Thompson played, Whitmore's on-court aggressiveness helped Houston maintain its dominance over the Raptors in the second half.
"They had an incredible game," Fred VanVleet said. "Amen pushing the pace, making plays. Both of those guys handled their defensive assignments pretty well and obviously Cam has been scoring at a high clip for us over the last couple weeks. You are just seeing the growth and the confidence and them kind of getting their footing under them a little bit, feeling more comfortable out there. It's great to see."
Whitmore scored 17 of his career-best 25 points in the second half. He said his goal was to maintain the fast pace the team established during the first two quarters.
Whitmore's scoring has become a reliable attribute for Houston. However, his best play came late in the fourth quarter when he threw a behind-the-back pass to Jeff Green, who finished with a one-handed dunk in transition.
"When you got two rookies going up and down the floor that fast and then you got Amen as a passer, a great passer, sees the floor up and down," Whitmore said. "When you got two and two together, something special can happen."
Thompson and Whitmore began the season with questions surrounding their fit within Udoka's rotation. Over the past month, the rookie duo has played a combined average of 19.0 minutes, receiving more playing time than Jae'Sean Tate (17.9) and Aaron Holiday (14.8).
