The Houston Rockets are completely dominating the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of their NBA playoffs series, and Amen Thompson has been outstanding so far in the game. The Rockets are trailing 3-1 in the series, so they need to win to force Game 6 back in San Francisco. Thompson is certainly doing his part as he had five steals in the first half and helped hold Stephen Curry to 3-10 shooting. Houston is up 76-49 at halftime.

The Rockets felt like they let one slip away in Game 4 as they blew a late lead, and now, their backs are up against the wall at home. Amen Thompson and the Rockets are answering the call.

Thompson's defense on Stephen Curry has been huge as Curry is obviously one of the most dynamic players in not only this series, but the entire league. Keeping him quiet during the first half of Game 5 is a big reason why the Rockets have such a big lead right now.

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Not only was Thompson dominant on the defensive end, but he brought a nice scoring presence to the table for the Rockets in the first half as well. Thompson had 11 points in the first half, and he has since added seven more. He currently sits at 18 late in the third quarter.

This game was close for the first few minutes, but it didn't take the Rockets long at all to pull away. By the time the first quarter came to an end, Houston was already up by 16 points.

Barring an insane come back from the Warriors, this series is going to go to a Game 6 back in San Francisco. Crazier things have happened, but Golden State has a tough hill to climb to make things interesting in the fourth quarter.

If Amen Thompson and the Rockets do hold on, then Game 6 will take place on Friday night, and the Warriors will have a chance to end the series in front of their home crowd. Houston will be hoping to force a Game 7 back at home.