DETROIT — Ausar Thompson had to watch from the locker room as the Detroit Pistons lost a thrilling matchup with the Dallas Mavericks in overtime.
The third-year forward had been ejected in the first half after being assessed a technical and making light contact with an official.
Thompson’s visible frustration as he exited the court would turn to excitement just two nights later as he left Little Caesars Arena for the final time in 2025 after being one of the driving forces behind the Pistons’ best defensive performance of the year.
“I put the last night (behind me) I stopped thinking about it,” Thompson told MLive after Detroit’s 112-86 win over the Charlotte Hornets Saturday night. “I just had to focus on tonight and how I could make up for not being there for my team the night before. I feel like I did a decent job.”
It was more than a decent night for Thompson as he scored 14 points and had a pair of assists But he truly had a special showing as a defender, logging four blocks and three steals and being the most disruptive player on that end of the court.
The Hornets shot a season-low 31.5% from the field against the Pistons (22-6) and largely had to find their offense from three-point range.
Thompson’s willingness to pick up an opposing team’s top scorer like Charlotte rookie Kon Kneuppel and former top picks LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller on the perimeter and force them to get creative or take an uneasy shot is what’s defining his impressive defensive style.
He also has a knack for positioning himself just behind a driving offensive player and biding his time to deliver a swift block. Thompson did so against Ball and Miller during the matchup.
Not even counting his ability to break up a play, Thompson was the primary defender on 15 shots from the Hornets, only two found their way to the basket. Eight of those shots were from beyond the arc and none of them connected.
“This is who he is,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We’ve preached this before as genuine, he’s one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. He can take on so many different matchups and be so disruptive with his natural instincts, ability and IQ...A lot of shutdowns, I thought he was great on that end of the floor.”
Thompson began to step up as a key defender for the Pistons last season and frequently took on some of the toughest assignments leading up to and in the playoffs.
Another offseason with the pain of a postseason defeat has spurred Thompson on to being a lockdown defender all season for Detroit and it’s nights like Saturday that prove he’s got the ability.
Defense is as much of a team responsibility as anything for the Pistons, but when there’s a standout defender like Thompson on the court, it’s hard not to notice how much one player can impact a game.