Rockets Beat Thunder 119-98: Jabari Smith Jr. Scores 30 and Marcus Smart Hits Seven Threes in Houston
Houston answered its first loss of the season by running the defending-power Thunder out of Toyota Center. Jabari Smith Jr.'s 30 points and Marcus Smart's seven three-pointers powered a 119-98 win over an Oklahoma City team missing three starters.
One night after their first loss of the season in Dallas, the Houston Rockets produced their most complete performance of the young season. Jabari Smith Jr. scored 30 points and Marcus Smart added 24 with seven three-pointers as Houston beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 119-98 at Toyota Center on Saturday night, Reuters reported.
Smart, starting in place of Fred VanVleet on a rest night, keyed the early charge and finished 7-of-10 from beyond the arc; Smith shot 10-of-18 overall and 6-of-12 from three, with nine rebounds and five assists. Houston made 18 of its 41 three-point attempts, led by as many as 27, and closed the door in the fourth when Smith's pull-up jumper and another three stretched the margin to 103-81 with 8:39 remaining, Reuters reported. Alperen Sengun, back in the lineup, added 16 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, and Kevin Durant scored 14.
Oklahoma City's short roster is the other half of the story. The Thunder played without three starters — Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace — all out with long-term injuries; the team had announced Friday that Holmgren will miss at least two months with a right knee injury. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 26 points, but after a 4-0 start Oklahoma City has now lost two straight.
Houston improves to 6-1 and hosts Boston on Monday. For a Rockets team that spent Friday night losing its unbeaten start in Dallas, Saturday was the response contenders are supposed to give: short-handed opponent or not, the game was decided by the middle of the fourth quarter.
