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Coty M. Davis: #Rockets Amen Thompson at LCA tonight for Ausar. #Pistons
Omari Sankofa II: FINAL: Pistons 116, Magic 109. They've forced a Game 6 in Orlando. Cunningham: 45 points (franchise playoff high), 5 assists, 13-23 overall, 14-14 at the line) Thompson: 6 pts, 15 rebs, 6 assts, 5 steals, 2 blocks
Omari Sankofa II: Ausar Thompson on what the team lacked leading into the 4th: "Intensity. The whole game I felt like we were playing from behind … just having more intensity and not being in catch-up mode."
Omari Sankofa II: Asked JB Bickerstaff about their defense on Desmond Bane: "It’s a lot of guys, and a lot of bodies. It’s no 1-on-1 situations for him, it’s always 1-on-5s. Obviously Ausar (Thompson) has taken on a lot of that responsibility, but a lot of guys have done a great job of executing what we’re trying to do."
Omari Sankofa II: Harris on the rim protection tonight: "It’s a special group. When you’ve got guys like AT, his impact on the defensive end, Stew comes in and he’s impacting the entire arena through his hustle plays and blocks. Those are momentum-shifters in basketball."
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Jason Beede: After shootaround, #Magic guard Desmond Bane talked about being defended by Pistons’ Ausar Thompson in Game 1: “Great defender,” Bane said. “I thought I had a lot of good looks … you make some, you miss some. … I’m looking forward to another challenge tonight.”
Hunter Patterson: JB Bickerstaff on Ausar’s minutes: “It’s one of those balancing acts you’re trying to figure out in the moment of what you need. Having more ball handlers on the floor, being able to take Cade off the ball. … We know how important AT is for us. He’ll have a consistent role, as always.”
Omari Sankofa II: JB on Duren after practice today: “We’ve gotta put the ball in his hands … do a better job of letting him touch it in different places.” Also asked JB about Ausar only playing 3 minutes in the fourth in Game 1.
NBA Communications: The 2025-26 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award winner will be revealed tonight at 6 PM ET on Peacock and NBCSN. The three finalists: ▪️Chet Holmgren, @okcthunder ▪️Ausar Thompson, @DetroitPistons ▪️Victor Wembanyama, @spurs
Omari Sankofa II: Ausar Thompson: "We just gotta take every play that play at a time, not worrying about scoring 10 points in one possession and just do what we’re supposed to do each possession, and we’ll get back in the game."
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NBA Communications: The three finalists for the 2025-26 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award: Chet Holmgren, @okcthunder Ausar Thompson, @DetroitPistons Victor Wembanyama, @spurs
Y’all kind of remind us of the ’90s, 2000s Pistons, man. Kind of our era. Big, physical, don’t take no shit. Does that mindset come from just that Detroit feel, or is that something y’all brought back on y’all own? Jalen Duren: Yeah, honestly, a lot of people would think we just try to copy the earlier teams Detroit had. But I think, to a man, that’s just how we feel. That’s just how we play. You know what I mean? Guys like Stew, me, Ausar, Ron Holland, that’s just who we are as characters. And it came together. And like I said, I’m going to go back to JB, man. His character and his mentality kind of fit, and it gelled with everything. So it was like a match made in heaven.
Ausar Thompson: “Everybody got a right to their own opinion. We don’t really worry about that. We all believe we could not only come out the East, but win it all. So we just focus on that, focus on ourselves, and let everybody on the outside say what they gotta say.”
“I haven’t got as many fouls (this season),” Ausar Thompson said before smirking and keeping himself in check. “So, I guess I was fouling.” The foul rate has tempered to a career low without any of Thompson’s patented aggression falling by the wayside. He still presses anyone who can dribble. He leads the NBA in steals and deflections per game. He is second in the league in Bball-Index’s ball-screen navigation analytic and fourth in its off-ball chasing one. Only one other player even sniffs the top 10 in both stats: his twin brother, Amen, a member of the All-Perimeter-Defense Second Team.
