ORLANDO, Fla. — Amen Thompson had an uneven debut with the Houston Rockets, but the team isn’t necessarily concerned with the performance of the fourth pick.
Thompson finished with eight points, five rebounds and two assists in a 116-86 loss to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. He went 3-of-10 from the field, including 1-of-7 from 3-point range, in 21 minutes off of the bench as the Rockets lost their sixth straight season opener.
He was just happy to get the game out of the way.
“It definitely feels good, something I dreamed of my whole life,” Thompson said after the game. “But regardless of how it went, it is the first game… A lot of areas to improve on. Some good things, some bad things but (we’re) onto the next.”
The Rockets cut a 17-point first-half deficit down to one point midway through the third quarter, but the Magic countered and went on a 24-7 run to take an 18-point lead into the fourth period. The Magic outscored the Rockets by 12 points in the final frame to coast to their largest season-opening win in franchise history.
“They were the tougher team,” Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said. “They got every 50-50 ball; 16 offensive rebounds. They finished with seven-plus shots, but they were up 15 or so for most of the game. They were the aggressor tonight.”
First career 3 for Amen Thompson! pic.twitter.com/O93x3VXqgy
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) October 26, 2023
Thompson showed some flashes of what prompted the Rockets to take him…
