NBA
Jabari Smith Jr. Scores 30 As Rockets Beat Thunder 119–98
Marcus Smart added 24 points and Alperen Sengun returned to the lineup as Houston beat Oklahoma City on October 31.
Jabari Smith Jr. scored 30 points as the Houston Rockets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 119–98 on Saturday night, October 31. Smith added nine rebounds and five assists in 33 minutes as Houston improved to 6–1.
Smith made 10 of his 18 shots, including six threes on 12 attempts. He converted four of five free throws, blocked one shot and committed one turnover. His six made threes were his most through the season’s first seven games. Smith also collected eight defensive rebounds and one offensive rebound, giving Houston contributions on the glass alongside his scoring and ball movement.
The scoring total matched his 30 points against Dallas in Houston’s October 21 opener. That night, Smith made 11 of 17 shots and four of eight threes. Across his two most recent games, he produced 52 points and nine made threes.
Marcus Smart scored 24 points and made seven of 10 attempts from three. Smart and Smith combined for 13 of Houston’s 18 made threes. The Rockets attempted 41 shots from beyond the arc, compared with Oklahoma City’s 32 attempts.
Alperen Sengun returned after missing two games with lower back soreness, contributing 16 points and nine rebounds. Kevin Durant added 14 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 26, while Kenrich Williams and Bennett Stirtz each scored 11.
The Thunder dropped their second consecutive game after opening 4–0. Houston led 62–51 at halftime, then began the third quarter with eight unanswered points. Smith’s three gave the Rockets a 19-point lead, and Oklahoma City never reduced the margin below 12 afterward.
Through seven appearances, Smith averaged 19.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He made 21 threes in 47 attempts, a 44.7 percent conversion rate. Houston next hosts Boston on Monday, November 2, with tipoff scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EST at Toyota Center.
