Coming into the Houston Rockets' first-round series with the Golden State Warriors, one of the biggest talking points was Amen Thompson and whether he was actually some kind of Steph Curry stopper. He's not.

A snapshot that perfectly synopsized Amen Thompson's brilliant Game 5 came late in the Houston Rockets' dominant first half Wednesday night. The second-year wing stripped the ball from Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry near midcourt,

Amen Thompson notched five steals in the first half to establish a tone of tenacity on defense that galvanized the Rockets in a 131-116 romp that forced Game 6 against the Warriors on Friday in San Francisco.