Pistons’ Cade Cunningham thankful for All-Star vote, and Tobias Harris
Cade Cunningham speaks Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, after the Pistons’ 104-103 win over the Boston Celtics at Little Caesars Arena.
If there’s any brotherly love between him and his twin brother, Detroit Pistons forward Ausar Thompson doesn’t easily reveal it.
The Pistons are getting set to play the Houston Rockets on Friday, Jan. 23, with Thompson preparing to play his twin brother Amen Thompson, third-year forward with the Rockets, for the second time this season.
Following Detroit’s 112-104 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, Ausar was asked on the FanDuel Sports Network Detroit broadcast if it’s hard to play against his brother.
“No,” he said with no hesitation. “It’s easy.”
Ausar continued to needle at his brother in the interview.
“That’s my little bro,” he said. “He’s older than me, but I weigh more, so I’mma introduce him to the weight room.”
Ausar is officially listed as five pounds heavier than Amen (205 vs. 200 lbs), while Amen is officially one minute older than Ausar.
Both brothers have had stellar starts to their careers: Ausar is averaging a career-high 10.9 points and 2.6 assists per game in his third season in Detroit while Amen earned an All-Rookie nod in 2024 and an All-Defensive placement in 2025. The Pistons selected Ausar with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 draft, with the Rockets taking Amen one pick earlier in the same draft.
While Amen has averaged nearly eight points per game more than Ausar this season, Ausar got the better of him in Detroit’s first matchup of the season with Houston on Oct. 24, shooting 9-for-16 from the floor for 19 points while Amen went 2-for-8 for 10 points. The Pistons won that game, 115-111, in Houston to record their first victory of the season.
The Pistons enter Friday’s game as the top team in the Eastern Conference, while the Rockets stand fourth in the West.
Later in Wednesday’s interview, Ausar showed a more sincere side to his brotherly relationship, calling the ability to play against Amen in the NBA “a blessing.”
“It’s something we’ve dreamed about our whole lives,” he said. “But honestly, I look at the game the same as any other game. It’s a game to get better, it’s a game to build my habits. Even though I’m playing my brother, I’m thinking of me and the team.”
Need to catch up on the news during your lunch break? Sign up for our Sports Briefing newsletter to get daily summaries of Detroit sports!
You can reach Christian at [email protected].
