PAT GRAHAM
Associated Press

For all the things the Thompson Twins share — middle name, appetite for burgers, dynamic basketball skill sets — matching suits on draft night won’t be one of them.

Amen and Ausar Thompson are dressing for success in their own unique style as they prepare to go in their own separate directions for really the first time. The 6-foot-7 guards out of Overtime Elite are projected in the AP mock draft to be selected in the top 10 Thursday night in New York.

That means, barring a daring move by a team, they will wind up in different cities.

It’s a situation that’s still hard to fully fathom for the 20-year-olds from California. It’s also a situation that reveals another shared trait: Their sense of humor.

“We’ll just constantly text each other,” explained Amen, who’s the older twin by a minute.

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“But you don’t check your phone,” Ausar quickly countered.

“He’s lying,” Amen responded.

Kidding aside, their aim is to live up to their shared middle name of “XLNC” (pronounced excellence), which was bestowed on them to convey a sense of power.

“Just so with every time you’re saying their name, there’s that power behind it,” their dad, Troy, said. “Excellence, greatness — we always use all these power words and so do they, in their own expressions, so they’re always thinking on that high note.”

The Thompsons moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Florida when the twins were in eighth grade to enhance their basketball careers. The playmakers shined at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, leading the team to a state title. They received offers from several traditional Power Five basketball programs.

The twins took the road less traveled to the NBA draft by signing with Overtime Elite, a professional basketball league based in Atlanta that’s opening another door to the pros for talented young players.

It was a chance to focus on basketball full-time and build up their strength. They did, too, adding 25 pounds of muscle over their two-year tenure with the league. An opportunity at a paycheck, too — Overtime Elite, which launched in 2021, compensates players with annual salaries of at least $100,000.

Their first year, the twins played on different Overtime Elite teams.

This past season, they combined — and dominated.

Amen (rhymes with “a pen”) averaged 17.2 points, 9.2 assists and 7.2 rebounds in the playoffs to lead the City Reapers to the championship.

Not to be outdone, Ausar (rhymes with “a car”), had a postseason in which he averaged 21 points, 4.8 assists and 5.2 rebounds.

When it came time to vote for the league’s regular season MVP award, it was no surprise who voted for whom.

Ausar earned MVP (along with the postseason version, too).

“It would have been funny” if Ausar won by one vote, Amen joked. “I would’ve taken mine back.”

They enjoy teasing one another — and pushing each other. They’re always in the gym, hoisting up shots or working on their footwork. They’re competitive, too, whether it be in friendly games on the court or in the video game NBA 2K, where they’re in agreement — Ausar reigns supreme on the video-game controller in hoops.

Their go-to meal comes from In-N-Out Burger. Ausar prefers a double cheeseburger with lettuce and special sauce, maybe grilled onions. Amen likes the same, just hold the cheese.

Amen’s scouting report reads like this: Explosive athleticism, with exceptional court vision. Can break down defenders with his ball-handling skills and elite first step.

Ausar’s report: Essentially the same as his brother.

Ausar projects as more of a combo guard and Amen as a ball handler in the NBA. Amen is predicted to go fourth overall to Houston and Ausar sixth to Orlando.

Their dad saw a path to the twins being elite when they were around 8 and going against players three, sometimes four, years older.

“You knew that their forward trajectory was going to be fast, because they were already improving at such a high rate,” Troy said. “From here on, I just want to enjoy watching them continue to grow into this dream and just achieve the greatness they always talked about.”

They describe their bond as “twin telepathy,” which Ausar said comes in handy not only on the basketball floor but in life.

Don’t ask for specifics, though, because that’s top secret.

“It would be bad for the world if everybody knew how to do it. I just know where he’s going to be at all times,” Ausar said.

Leading into the draft, they’ve been traveling to work out for interested teams. In Portland, they met Damian Lillard. A year ago, they were introduced to Golden State Warriors great Stephen Curry at his camp.

“It’s super cool meeting them,” Ausar said.

Amen and Ausar said they’ve competed against many of the big names in the draft class with the exception of Victor Wembanyama, the French star who is expected to go No. 1 to the San Antonio Spurs.

The twins are bracing for the likely separation and distance between them. They’re even planning for the big moment when both meet on the same NBA court at a soon-to-be-determined spot.

“That,” Amen said, “is going to make for one cool picture.”

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The post Twins Amen and Ausar Thompson set to be taken in top-10 of NBA draft appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Thompson scored 17 points in just 20 minutes to put the Warriors on track and for a 96-82 win. He slipped in two games and took the team to a season-record 30-9 — tied at the top of the Western Conference Phoenix Suns.

Thompson was greeted like a hero by an enthusiastic home crowd in San Francisco when he layed up the roof of the Chase Center in the first minute.

“It was a very special moment that I will never forget,” Thompson told reporters.

“I’ll never forget the welcome the Warriors fans gave us, especially myself. Gosh, it was fun and worth every single day, away and in that squat rack or on that shuttle board and to be all the conditioning days.

“It was worth every single moment. It’s been a long run – I won’t say it equates to winning a championship. But man, it was damn close.”

Warriors coach Steve Kerr revealed the first play wasn’t designed for the returning guard to score, but Thompson was just too hyper.

“I was so excited when I saw a lane to the basket that I just jumped at the chance,” Thompson said.

“After that I thought it was going to be one of those nights where I might be unconscious. I didn’t shoot as well as I wanted but I’m so happy I can even look at the stat sheet and see my name there.”

Splash Brothers reunited

Thompson’s “Splash Brother” Steph Curry — a nickname coined for the pair’s devastating potency from three-point range — led the scoring with a 28-point pull and four three-point plays.

Understandably, Thompson’s long-distance goggles were a little less calibrated than usual and missed his first three triple attempts, but the guard bounced back and went three for eight from downtown.

Curry, who warmed up in a Thompson jersey for his return, was not surprised by his team-mate’s immediate impact.

“It’s like, Klay Thompson and I fucking love it,” Curry told reporters.

“The funny thing is the coach had to mention it, we had to mention it before the game – don’t feel like you have to force feed him because he’s going to find his shots and he definitely didn’t disappoint on that front. “

Lamar Stevens led scoring for the visitors with 17 points — adding four rebounds and an assist — as the Cavaliers fell back to 22-18 for the season.

After a glorious homecoming, Thompson and the Warriors will now prepare for four straight games on the road – beginning with a tough trip to Memphis to face off against a team the Grizzlies (28-14) who are continuing their best nine-game winning streak the NBA wants to extend .

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