Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson submitted an early candidate for Defensive Play of the Year in the dying seconds of Friday’s 114–110 win over the San Antonio Spurs.
With five seconds left, Victor Wembanyama posted up Thompson, positioning himself for a game-tying dunk. However, the Frenchman’s eight-foot wingspan wasn’t enough to beat Thompson, who used his seven-foot reach and extraordinary leaping ability to swat the attempt away.
The NBA world is still buzzing about Thompson’s game-clinching play.
Amen Thompson Denies Wemby
ESPN SportsCenter: 6’7″ AMEN THOMPSON BLOCKS 7’4″ WEMBY AT THE RIM FTW 🔥
NBA on Prime: THAT IS INSANITY, AMEN THOMPSON 🤯 HE BLOCKS WEMBY AT THE RIM FOR THE GAME 😲
Houston Rockets: AMEN THOMPSON CALLED GAME 🚫
The Athletic’s Jared Weiss: Unreal block by Amen Thompson on Wemby to win it
Marc Stein: We might have just seen the Defensive Play of the Year … on Night 4 of the regular season.
Kendrick Perkins: Grown ass man block Amen Thompson. God Bless America!!!!
Reactions from Amen Thompson’s Teammates:
Kevin Durant: “Man, what an incredible block,” Durant said, via ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. “It was just insane, man. As soon as your feet hit the ground, to be able to bounce back up so quick, that’s rare in any human. To be 6-7, dunk the ball and block shots like a center is insane.”
Fred VanVleet: “That block there, it’s not many people on the planet making that play on Wemby”
Rockets Start Season 2-0
Meanwhile, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka credited his coaching staff’s defensive scheme for forcing Wemby to his left.
“We did a really good job of switching and denying some catches, pushed [Wembanyama] off his spot, did his work early instead of getting ducked in like we did quite a few times,” Udoka said of Thompson’s block.
“And from there, he uses athleticism and God-given ability there and did a hell of a job one-on-one with him in the post.”
Thompson admitted the block was pure instinct, requiring little thought even as he tried to tower over the 7-foot-5 Wembanyama.
“With moments like that, you kind of don’t even know what it is,” he said.
“You just know you’re getting hyped. That’s a game-winning block. We were playing hard. That’s a great team we just beat. So, to celebrate in front of their bench, yeah, it was fun.”
With the win, the Rockets are off to a 2-0 start for the first time since the 2017-18 season. While Thompson’s block was integral, Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with a game-high 29 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter of a close game.
“They kind of tried a couple of [things] and they were doubling,” Sengun said of his big night. “So, I’ve just got to read the game. If they’re not doubling, I’m going to work. If they’re doubling, I’m trying to find my teammates. At the end of the game, they decided not to double and then I went to work.”
The Rockets (2-0) will next face the Atlanta Hawks (2-0) on the second night of a back-to-back on Saturday.
NBA World Reacts to Amen Thompson’s Block on Victor Wembanyama