Jabari Smith Jr. put up 30 points and Marcus Smart added 24 points behind seven three-pointers Saturday as the host Houston Rockets rolled to a 119-98 victory over a heavily depleted Oklahoma City Thunder squad.
Smart stepped into the starting lineup in place of Fred VanVleet, who sat out to rest, and immediately sparked an early offensive charge. Smart notched 12 points on perfect 3-for-3 shooting from beyond the arc alongside three free throws in the opening period alone. Kevin Durant chipped in 10 of his 14 total points during the first quarter as the Rockets built a 35-26 advantage after converting 10 of 11 attempts from the foul line.
Smith and Alperen Sengun anchored the offensive load for Houston as the team bounced back from Friday’s road loss to the Dallas Mavericks, which marked their first defeat of the season. Smith recorded nine rebounds and five assists while shooting 6-for-12 from three-point range. Sengun finished with 16 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, while Smart ended his night shooting 7-for-10 from long distance. Overall, the Rockets connected on 18 of 41 three-point attempts, good for 43.9 percent.
Houston methodically extended its advantage in the second quarter, leading by as many as 27 points. A reverse layup by Sengun stretched the margin to 51-34, and a second-chance basket by Amen Thompson pushed the lead to 21. Although the Thunder answered with a 10-0 run, a subsequent three-pointer by Smith and a dunk from Thompson allowed the Rockets to preserve a 62-51 edge at halftime.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander paced Oklahoma City with a game-high 26 points, nearly keeping his club within striking distance single-handedly in the third quarter. Consecutive three-pointers by Gilgeous-Alexander shaved a 21-point deficit down to 13 at 83-70. However, Houston restored a 92-75 cushion heading into the final period.
Smith effectively closed out the contest in the fourth quarter, sinking a pull-up jumper and another three-pointer that stretched the margin to 103-81 with 8:39 remaining.
The Thunder played without three regular starters—Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Cason Wallace—due to long-term injuries. Kenrich Williams contributed 11 points and seven rebounds with three triples off the bench, Jared McCain chipped in 10 points, and Isaiah Hartenstein added 10 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
