Thompson contributed 11 points (4-6 FG, 3-4 FT), eight rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal in 33 minutes during Tuesday's 111-101 victory over the Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Thompson continues to see big minutes on a nightly basis, having logged at least 33 in five of the past six games. Although his regular-season role was frustrating for fantasy managers, it appears that J.B. Bickerstaff has figured out just what Thompson means to this team. Over eight playoff appearances, he has recorded 34 combined steals and blocks and averaged 8.5 rebounds a night.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Grabs 15 boards, adds five steals
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Thompson posted six points (3-5 FG, 0-2 FT), 15 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and five steals over 36 minutes during Wednesday's 116-109 win over the Magic in Game 5 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Thompson was a beast on the glass, pulling down a game-high 15 rebounds while adding seven combined steals and blocks. Despite inconsistent production on the offensive end, Thompson has delivered elsewhere, averaging 9.4 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 2.4 blocks through the first five games of the series. The Pistons now trail 3-2 and will head to Orlando in hopes of forcing a Game 7.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Huge effort on defense in Game 3
Rotowire
Thompson ended with 17 points (7-10 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 3-5 FT), eight rebounds, three assists, five blocks and two steals over 37 minutes during Saturday's 113-105 loss to the Magic in Game 3 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The seven combined blocks and steals represented his best total since March 20, when the third-year forward racked up seven steals and a block in a win over the Warriors. The 17 points were also Thompson's best performance on offense in the series so far, and he's averaging 12.0 points, 7.7 boards, 2.3 steals, 2.0 blocks and 1.7 assists in 30.0 minutes heading into Game 4 on Monday.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Notches 11 points in win
Rotowire
Thompson amassed 11 points (5-9 FG, 1-2 FT), eight rebounds, one assist, one block and two steals in 28 minutes during Wednesday's 98-83 win over the Magic in Game 2 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Thompson had his fingerprints all over this game as the Pistons leveled the series at one win apiece. Over his first two postseason appearances, he's averaging 9.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 2.5 steals in 26.5 minutes per contest.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Will play Monday
Rotowire
Thompson (ankle) is available for Monday's game against the Thunder.
Thompson will shake off his questionable tag for the front end of this back-to-back set. With that in mind, he could be a candidate for a maintenance day Tuesday against the Raptors.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Spotted at shootaround
Rotowire
Thompson (ankle) was present at Monday's shootaround, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Thompson remains questionable on the official injury report, but his presence at shootaround is a good sign for his status. If he's ultimately held out, the Pistons could lean more on Javonte Green, Ronald Holland and Kevin Huerter.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Officially in
Rotowire
Thompson (ankle) is available for Saturday's game against Minnesota.
Thompson was bumped up to probable Saturday morning, and the 22-year-old has finally gotten the green light to play. In his last five appearances, Thompson is averaging 10.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.2 steals and 1.4 blocks across 29.8 minutes.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Likely to play Saturday
Rotowire
Thompson (ankle) is now listed as probable for Saturday's game against the Timberwolves.
Thompson was initially listed as questionable due to right ankle injury management, but the third-year pro is trending toward being available for Saturday's contest. He missed five games earlier this month due to his ankle issue, and in his seven outings since returning March 15, he has averaged 9.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.1 blocks over 28.6 minutes per game.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Questionable for Saturday
Rotowire
Thompson (ankle) is listed as questionable for Saturday's game against the Timberwolves.
Thompson is questionable due to right ankle injury management after missing five straight games earlier this month due to a right ankle sprain. If the third-year forward is ultimately ruled out, Kevin Huerter and Javonte Green would be candidates to see increased playing time.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Available to play
Rotowire
Thompson (ankle) is available for Thursday's meeting with the Pelicans.
Thompson is good to go for the second leg of a back-to-back set, so make sure you've got him active. The 23-year-old swingman has racked up 12 steals over his past three games.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Won't play Friday
Rotowire
Thompson (ankle) has been ruled out for Friday's game against Memphis.
Thompson will miss a fifth consecutive contest due to a sprained right ankle, and his next opportunity to suit up will come Sunday in Toronto. With the 23-year-old forward sidelined, Ronald Holland, Marcus Sasser and Kevin Huerter are candidates to see increased minutes.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Likely to miss time, but day-to-day
Rotowire
Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Saturday that Thompson is considered "day-to-day" while he recovers from a right ankle sprain, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic reports.
Thompson sprained the ankle during the first quarter of the Pistons' 121-106 loss to the Spurs on Thursday. He's since been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Nets, and with Bickerstaff noting that it's "going to be a minute" before Thompson plays again, the third-year forward looks safe to rule out through Sunday's road game against Miami. Kevin Huerter, Caris LeVert and Javonte Green are all candidates to enter the Pistons' starting lineup in Thompson's stead beginning with Saturday's game.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Ruled out for Saturday
Rotowire
Thompson (ankle) has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Nets.
Thompson logged just two minutes before exiting Thursday's loss to the Spurs due to a sprained right ankle, and he'll be held out of the front end of this back-to-back set. With the third-year forward sidelined, Javonte Green, Kevin Huerter and Caris LeVert are candidates to see an uptick in minutes.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Questionable to return
Rotowire
Thompson is questionable to return to Thursday's game against San Antonio due to a right ankle sprain, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic reports.
Thompson left the game early in the first quarter after picking up an ankle injury. Javonte Green, Ronald Holland and Kevin Huerter could all gets more looks if Thompson is unable to return.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Leaves for locker room
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Thompson went to the locker room during the first quarter of Thursday's game against the Spurs with an apparent right ankle injury, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic reports.
Thompson appeared to twist his right ankle on a drive to the basket and was down in pain for a few minutes before hobbling to the locker room. Ronald Holland checked into the game to replace the injured Thompson, who can be considered questionable to return until the team has an update to share.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Muted effort in loss
Rotowire
Thompson provided eight points (4-6 FG), four rebounds and two assists in 18 minutes during Monday's 114-103 loss to San Antonio.
This performance wasn't up to Thompson's usual standards, and his minutes took a hit as a result. Thompson had cleared 30 minutes in his previous two outings, so fantasy managers will be hoping this is just a bump in the road.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Contributes across the board
Rotowire
Thompson closed with four points (2-3 FG), four rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal across 24 minutes during Wednesday's 113-95 victory over the Raptors.
While Wednesday's effort was relatively muted, Thompson has bounced back nicely overall from a shaky start to the season. The versatile forward has averaged 8.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.7 steals in 25.1 minutes per contest in his last 12 games, shooting 52.4 percent from the floor. That said, Thompson's subpar foul shooting and lack of outside scoring could continue to limit his minutes to the 20s.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Strong line in win
Rotowire
Thompson recorded nine points (4-5 FG, 1-1 3Pt), eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks and three steals in 25 minutes during Sunday's 130-77 victory over the Nets.
The Pistons ran away with this game in a hurry, resulting in fewer minutes for their key players. Thompson was a menace defensively and made the most of his modest workload, however. The forward has provided fourth-round value in nine-category formats over his last eight games, averaging 9.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 3.1 steals and 0.5 blocks over that stretch.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Grabs five steals
Rotowire
Thompson totaled 14 points (5-7 FG, 4-4 FT), four rebounds, one assist, one block and five steals over 20 minutes during Tuesday's 109-107 win over the Nuggets.
Thompson saw just 20 minutes of play for the second game in a row, which is below his average of 25.8 per game this year. He was very productive, however, racking up 14 points and four rebounds on high efficiency.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Sees just 20 minutes
Rotowire
Thompson contributed five points (2-5 FG, 1-2 FT), five rebounds, six assists and two steals in 20 minutes during Sunday's 139-116 win over the Kings.
The Pistons ran away with this game early, so the team was able to take its foot off the gas early. As a result, Cade Cunningham was the only starter to eclipse 24 minutes. Thompson is still on an upward trend over his last six games with 8.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.3 steals in just 22.5 minutes per contest.
