An intentional Amen Thompson puts together complete performance in Rockets' win over Warriors

Amen Thompson turned in a complete performance at both ends as the Rockets ended the Warriors' winning streak at eight games Wednesday. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle) Ime Udoka set up the battle to watch before Wednesday's game when a reporter asked the Houston Rockets' coach if he had a special plan to contain Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry.  "Amen Thompson," Udoka replied.Unfortunately, we didn't see much of that matchup - a replay from the playoff series two seasons ago - as Curry played just five minutes, exiting Houston's 115-108 win with right abdominal soreness.But Thompson still made his imprint on the game with a complete performance. He finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal, playing with increased aggressiveness after a slow start. And even in his short time on Curry, Thompson notched a defensive highlight.The 23-year-old said at Tuesday's practice that he wanted to improve on fighting through screens rather than conceding a switch."I know nobody really wants to go at me," he said.So when Curry ran a pick-and-roll with Al Horford, Thompson wanted to keep the matchup rather than switch with big man Alperen Şengün. Thompson chased Curry and leapt at the pump-fake. Thompson flew past Curry but dislodged the ball as he landed for a block that turned into a Kevin Durant fast-break dunk."I wasn't really trying to do that," Thompson said. "I just try to keep my hand around the ball … And then it happened to go straight to me and it was a lot of pressure so I was just trying to rip it out."Amen Thompson is a mad man https://t.co/MbUSpshnrL- Steve Jones (@stevejones20) November 12, 2026The early highlight came amid a first half where Thompson scored just two points and missed his only two field-goal attempts. Before the game, Udoka said Thompson's offense was "a little up and down" through the first 11 games.Two seasons ago, Thompson largely played off the ball, lurking in the dunker's spot for offensive rebounds, dump-off passes or lobs. Last season, with Fred VanVleet out, Thompson became Houston's starting point guard. This year, with VanVleet back, he's had to toggle between those duties. Thompson went from averaging 18.3 points and 5.3 assists per game last season to 15.3 and 3.1, with his shooting percentage going from 53.4% to 51.4%. Houston Rockets celebrate as they pull ahead of the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter at the Toyota Center in Houston on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle) Udoka acknowledged that because Houston has more ballhandlers than last season, Thompson will get fewer opportunities. But the coach said he wants to get him more opportunities with the ball in his hands because of Thompson's ability to get to the paint and make the right read when he's there. "He's really good in the other spots as well: Setting screens, playing in the dunker, or slashing out of the corners," Udoka said pregame. "And so the balance can be there, but I got to be a little bit more intentional with him getting the ball in his hands."The Rockets were in transition often in the first half and Udoka said afterward Thompson was the "odd man out" on those "equal opportunity" plays. But he got the ball more in the second half and turned up his aggression in the process, attacking the rim either as a driver or cutter.Thompson scored 17 points and went 8-for-9 over the final two quarters. "I thought tonight he looked great, playing next action, (dribble hand-off) keeps, handing off and rolling, getting on the glass, finding that dunker and then finding his opportunities in transition," VanVleet said. "… He had the ball in his hands the whole game pretty much last year so it's a different situation this year and he's finding his way but with more patience and more reps he'll get his legs under him and he's getting there."Moving between the roles isn't easy. How Thompson and the Rockets find the right mix to maximize his all-world talent will remain worth watching as the season goes on. To him, finding a rhythm requires conscious decisions."You can't just decide you're going to be dunker for the whole game. They throw me so many different matchups. I got a big on me, sometimes I got a small guy," Thompson said. "So I feel like just getting better at being intentional, depending on what lineup is in, doing what I need to do."ROCKETS 115, WARRIORS 108FGFTRebGOLDEN STATEMinM-AM-AO-TAPFPTSGreen26:503-50-03-5727Lendeborg36:059-195-82-100225Horford20:571-70-00-1432Curry5:351-30-00-0003Podziemski37:047-154-51-64322Melton24:563-72-20-44311Niang19:191-72-34-5005Richard18:513-61-22-4029Cryer17:474-92-21-11213Bassey13:293-41-23-6017Santos12:050-30-00-3100Ike3:311-22-20-0114Leons3:310-10-00-3010Totals240:0036-8819-2616-482220108Percentages: FG .409, FT .731.3-Point Goals: 17-51, .333 (Podziemski 4-11, Melton 3-7, Cryer 3-8, Richard 2-3, Lendeborg 2-7, Green 1-1, Curry 1-2, Niang 1-3, Ike 0-1, Leons 0-1, Santos 0-2, Horford 0-5).Team Rebounds: 11. Team Turnovers: None.Blocked Shots: 6 (Leons 2, Bassey, Green, Melton, Santos).Turnovers: 13 (Santos 4, Lendeborg 2, Melton 2, Richard 2, Curry, Green, Podziemski).Steals: 5 (Lendeborg 2, Podziemski 2, Richard).Technical Fouls: None.FGFTRebHOUSTONMinM-AM-AO-TAPFPTSDurant33:578-173-40-45220Smith Jr.35:235-142-22-80314Sengun37:088-142-44-139419Thompson28:548-113-53-74319VanVleet29:336-92-20-26218Eason22:212-112-20-3006Sheppard20:175-90-00-11113Smart16:422-20-00-2146Bogdanovic9:420-00-00-0020Thornton2:400-00-00-0010Crawford1:080-00-00-0000Tate1:080-00-00-0010Tshiebwe1:080-00-00-0000Totals240:0044-8714-199-402623115Percentages: FG .506, FT .737.3-Point Goals: 13-36, .361 (VanVleet 4-7, Sheppard 3-6, Smart 2-2, Smith Jr. 2-9, Sengun 1-2, Durant 1-4, Thompson 0-1, Eason 0-5).Team Rebounds: 11. Team Turnovers: 1.Blocked Shots: 7 (Smith Jr. 3, Thompson 2, Eason, Sengun).Turnovers: 11 (Durant 2, Sengun 2, Smith Jr. 2, Thompson 2, Eason, Sheppard, Smart).Steals: 7 (VanVleet 3, Sengun, Sheppard, Smith Jr., Thompson).Technical Fouls: None.Golden State20312829-108Houston35212930-115A_18,055 (18,500). T_2:26.SubscribeThere’s more to Houston with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at An intentional Amen Thompson puts together complete performance in Rockets' win over Warriors.