Amen Thompson just had the night of his life, stunning the NBA champion Celtics with a game-winning floater that gave the Rockets a thrilling 114-112 victory on Monday.
The 21-year-old rookie didn’t just hit the biggest shot of his career – he exploded for a personal-best 33 points against one of the league’s best teams.
“That was my first game-winner,” Thompson said, beaming during his on-court interview. “I feel like Kobe.”
His clutch shot came with just 0.7 seconds left on the clock, capping off an incredible final minute where he’d already thrown down a massive dunk to put Houston ahead.
The win wasn’t just big for Thompson – it was huge for the Rockets. They’re now sitting pretty in second place in the Western Conference with a 31-14 record, having won nine of their last 11 games.
Dillon Brooks was on fire too, dropping 36 points and hitting an incredible 10 three-pointers.
The Celtics, playing without key players Al Horford, Derrick White, and Sam Hauser, got 28 points from Jaylen Brown. Jayson Tatum added 19 points, but all of them came in the second half after he went scoreless in the first two quarters.
It was a very different story from their January 3rd matchup, when Boston easily handled Houston.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla took the blame for the final defensive breakdowns. “Those last two plays were on me,” he said after the game. “I saw the play they were trying to run, and I tried to change the matchups and put our guys in a tough spot.”
The Rockets are now 12-3 with Thompson in the starting lineup this season, showing just how much impact the rookie sensation is having on this surging Houston team.
