HOUSTON — The Rockets opened up a five-game homestand at Toyota Center with Friday’s important 107-105 victory (box score) over New Orleans.
Houston (41-25) climbed into a tie for the No. 3 spot in the tightly packed Western Conference standings, while the Pelicans (22-46) remain at No. 13 among the 15 West teams.
All-Star forward Kevin Durant led the Rockets with 32 points, 5 assists, and just one turnover, shooting 13-of-24 (54.2%) overall and 3-of-7 on 3-pointers (42.9%). Those 13 makes included a mid-range bucket to take the lead with 7.6 seconds left, punctuating Houston’s rally from a four-point deficit with under 30 seconds left to play.
Beyond Durant, it was another dynamic night from third-year guard Amen Thompson, who finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. The 23-year-old connected on 7-of-15 shots (46.6%), 2-of-3 from 3-point range (66.7%), and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line (87.5%).
Over his last 10 games, Thompson is averaging 20.0 points (60.3% FG, 65.4% true shooting), 7.9 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game. In March, Thompson and reigning Most Valuable Player (MVP) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are the only NBA players averaging at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game while shooting at least 60% from the field.
Players averaging 20/5/5 on 60% FG this month:
— Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
— Amen Thompson pic.twitter.com/ZnCn4KsTwf— Real App (@realapp) March 14, 2026
With Friday’s result in the books, Thompson has scored 20+ points in three of his past four games. After having 18 of those games over his first two seasons, combined, Thompson has done so 27 times this season alone.
And even within the confines of 2025-26, Thompson — now averaging a career-high 17.8 points per game — is still trending upward.
Over his past eight outings, Thompson has recorded four double-doubles in points and either rebounds or assists. During his previous 20 games, Thompson had just three double-doubles.
“I feel like I found my groove, and my next step is being more consistent with it, and doing that all the time,” said Thompson, who earned NBA All-Defensive First Team honors last season.
“I know what (and where) I like to get to, and it’s about doing that every game, not just when I feel good,” Thompson added.
With Houston trailing by a point in the closing seconds, Thompson showed his two-way chops by forcing a critical turnover from Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray — who finished with a game-high 35 points on 14-of-18 shooting (77.8%) and 4-of-5 from 3-point range (80.0%).
“At the end, I felt like it was our defensive execution that won us the game, honestly,” Thompson said. “I wanted him to get it on the sideline, where he was trapped by me and the sideline. I was trying to steal the ball, and if I didn’t steal, I was going to foul. And he stepped out right before I fouled.”
Next up for Houston is two important games versus the Lakers (41-25), who are currently tied with the Rockets in the West playoff race. The Lakers need to win both to clinch the head-to-head tiebreaker in the three-game season series, while the Rockets need only one (since they won the previous Christmas matchup in Los Angeles).
Both Rockets-Lakers games will be nationally televised and tip off at 8:30 p.m. local time from Toyota Center. Monday’s matchup is on Peacock and NBC Sports Network, while Wednesday’s rematch will air on ESPN.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: With another 20-point game, Amen Thompson finding ‘groove’ for Rockets
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