As Rockets Rout Pistons, Amen Thompson Wins First Meeting Against Twin Brother Ausar
HOUSTON — A day before the Houston Rockets took a 136-113 victory over the Detroit Pistons, Amen and Ausar Thompson spent New Year's Eve together. It marked the first time the Thompson twins had a chance to enjoy each other's company since September.
As brothers and ex-teammates during their final season at OverTime Elite, the previous four months were the longest they went without seeing each other in person. They FaceTime every day. But reuniting in Amen's Houston home felt like old times for the twin brothers.
"It's been different," Amen told Inside the Rockets. "I talk to him every day, and we still have a close relationship. Definitely different, but nothing between us has changed."
Rockets forward Amen Thompson controls the ball as Detroit Pistons forward Ausar Thompson defends during the third quarter at Toyota Center.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
New Year's Eve allowed Ausar to remember why he deems Amen as the "messy" brother. But Amen had his mind set on the first game of 2024, which marked the initial meeting between the two brothers in the league.
Amen made a statement against Ausar inside the Toyota Center Monday night. He played a career-best 28 minutes while recording 12 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals in the win. Ausar finished with five points and four rebounds in 25 minutes.
Amen had fun playing against his brother. But more importantly, the game against the Pistons was the first time Amen felt good about his conditioning and on-court chemistry.
A Grade 2 ankle sprain and flu symptoms sidelined Amen for 19 of 20 games from Nov. 4 to Dec. 18. He has since played seven consecutive games — the longest stretch of his career.
The time he missed was hard. Injuries and an illness not only forced Amen to miss out on the chance to help his teammates, but the absences interfered with his development.
Coach Ime Udoka preached patience to Amen when unfortunate circumstances stalled his development. Udoka has now witnessed the game slowing down since Amen began to play consistent minutes. His passing has been the top attribute that has stood out to Udoka over the last several games.
"The more he is out there, the better he gets," Udoka said. "You can see that everything out there is starting to slow down. He plays at his pace and has the athleticism. I think he will only get better with time. The more consistent minutes he can get, I think it will work well for him."
Amen appeared to have extra juice in his play from the first time he checked in at the 5:30 mark of the first quarter. Three minutes later, Amen played the first minutes of his career against Ausar when he checked in for the Pistons.
There wasn't much trash talk, but Amen revealed that they had plenty of inside jokes taking place. However, Amen was determined to get revenge against Ausar as an opponent.
Two years ago, Ausar defeated Amen during the OverTime Elite 2021–2022 championship game. Ausar not only became the first Finals MVP while helping Team Elite defeat Team OTE 52–45 but also dunked on Amen.
Now competitors on an NBA floor, Amen's contributions helped the Rockets end a three-game losing streak. He also received the bragging rights as the brother who won their first regular-season meeting.
"It was fun to play against him for the first time in the league," Amen said. "This is something we have always dreamed about. Y'all saw him. He kept checking me. He's a funny guy...When it comes to my teammates, the more I play with them, the better I feel."
Amen and Ausar made history during the 2023 NBA Draft in June. They became the first set of twins drafted in the top five. The Rockets made Amen the first prospect taken from Overtime Elite at pick No. 4, while Ausar went No. 5 to the Pistons.
