Amen Thompson Dropped 41 on 17-of-22 — a Career High That Announced a Star

Amen Thompson walked into Target Center on Friday night and put on one of the most efficient scoring displays of the entire NBA season. The 22-year-old guard scored a career-high 41 points on 17-of-22 shooting — that's 77.3% from the field — to go with 9 rebounds and 7 assists.

The performance came without a single three-point attempt. Thompson did all his damage inside the arc and at the rim, finishing 7-of-7 from the free throw line. In an era where everyone wants to jack up threes, Thompson just kept attacking the basket and nobody could stop him.

It wasn't enough. Anthony Edwards returned from missing 10 of 12 games with a knee issue, hit a dagger three in the final minute, and the Timberwolves held on 136-132 to snap Houston's 8-game winning streak. Kevin Durant added 33 for the Rockets. But the story of the night was Thompson proving he can be a dominant scorer without a jumper — a rare breed in today's NBA. The Rockets are locked into the 5-seed, but Thompson just showed the league what's coming in the playoffs.