For the first time in exactly a month on Saturday, there was buzzer beater in the National Basketball Association. Exactly one month after Jalen Green accomplished the feat for the Phoenix Suns, point guard Amen Thompson of San Leandro, California hit a dramatic shot for the Houston Rockets in a 123-122 win over the Miami Heat at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on Saturday.
With two seconds left in the game and the score 122-121 Miami, Rockets superstar Kevin Durant missed a field goal attempt from 17 feet. However, Thompson was there to pick up the offensive rebound and then subsequently scored the game-winning shot on a layup attempt at the rim. This was the first buzzer beater of Thompson’s career, and the first buzzer beater in the Rockets organization since Gerald Green of Houston scored the game-winning field goal from 23 feet in making a three-point shot in a 104-103 Rockets win over the Phoenix Suns on March 30, 2018.
With the win, the Rockets improved to a record of 43 wins and 27 losses. The Heat fell to a record of 38 wins and 33 losses.
Thompson finished the game with a double-double. He had 24 points and 18 rebounds. The 18 rebounds were a career high for Thompson. However, it was the 18th rebound that turned out to have the most significance.
The fact that Thompson delivered in the clutch is significant for the Rockets. With the focus being on Durant, who is a future Hall of Famer, Thompson has emerged as a very important part of the Rockets organization from an offensive standpoint too.
