Inside The Rockets

Rockets' Amen Thompson Makes His Mark vs. Lakers

Amen Thompson had a great bounce back performance for the Houston Rockets against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Jeremy Brener

Jan 5, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) dunks against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
Jan 5, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) dunks against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
In this story:

Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson is back with the squad after serving his two-game suspension, and he came through in a huge way as the team beat the Los Angeles Lakers 119-115 on Sunday night inside Toyota Center.

Thompson had 23 points and 16 rebounds as he started for the injured Jabari Smith Jr. in the win.

With Smith sidelined for 4-8 weeks, the Rockets are going to need performances like this from Thompson much more often.

He's one of the best rebounding guards in the league thanks to his long wingspan and knack for crashing the glass, and that takes him pretty far compared to most players that are like him in the league.

Thompson simply has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. While the Rockets will miss Smith for his spacing, Thompson gives them a new look as someone who can be involved on every play. His versatility is what makes him so dangerous, and now the Rockets will look to incorporate him into more looks and lineups as the season moves forward without Smith on the floor.

Thompson and the Rockets will be back on Tuesday as they take on the league-worst Washington Wizards in the nation's capital. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT from inside Capital One Arena.

Want to join the discussion? Like Rockets on SI Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Rockets news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.

Published
Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

Home/News