Houston Rockets second-year guard Amen Thompson had extra motivation for Friday night's game against the Miami Heat. 82 days after starring in a serious altercation that resulted in six ejections, Thompson faced the player he claimed started everything, Tyler Herro.
After the Rockets tied the regular-season series with a 102-98 win at Kaseya Center, with Thompson scoring 18 points (8-of-14 from the field), grabbing nine rebounds, dishing five assists and rounding up the night with seven steals, the young guard reflected on his past encounter with Herro.
Talking with reporter Vanessa Richardson, the forward noted a difference in Herro's behavior.
"I thought Fred (VanVleet) set the tone really set the tone on him," Thompson said. "And then my plays to guard him, I mean, he wasn’t doing the thing this time, so, yeah."
On Dec. 29, 2024, Thompson slammed Herro to the floor, which caused a huge fight between the two players an other members of the Rockets and Heat. The due became entangled as Miami intended he inbound the ball, which led Thompson to grab Herro's jersey and throw him to the floor.
The Heat's guard led the Heat to the 104-100 win with 27 points, six rebounds and nine assists, sending a message to Thompson after the game was over.
"Guess that's what happens when someone's scoring, throwing dimes, doing the whole thing," Herro said, per ESPN. "I'd get mad, too."
The story was different this time, with Thompson helping VanVleet (37 points) and the Rockets win their ninth consecutive game and giving Herro and Co. a 10th consecutive loss.
