Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. scored 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds, leading the Rockets to a 119–98 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night.
Smith made 10 of 18 field goals and 6 of 12 three-pointers. Guard Marcus Smart scored 24 points, hitting 7 of 10 triples. Houston shot 46% overall and 18 of 41 from three-point range.
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Center Alperen Sengun returned after missing two games with lower back soreness, finishing with 16 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists. Forward Kevin Durant scored 14 points.
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting. Forward Kenrich Williams and rookie center Bennett Stirtz each added 11 points. Center Isaiah Hartenstein and guard Jared McCain each scored 10. Oklahoma City shot 44% overall and 10 of 32 from three-point range.
Houston led 37–30 one minute into the second quarter, then extended its lead to 55–34 on a tip-in by forward Amen Thompson with 6:10 left in the half. The Thunder outscored the Rockets 17–8 over the final six minutes to trail 62–51 at halftime.
The Rockets opened the third quarter with an 8–0 run, taking a 19-point lead on a three-pointer by Smith with 10 minutes remaining. Their advantage remained above 12 points for the rest of the game.
Guard Fred VanVleet missed the game due to right knee injury management. Guard Reed Sheppard sat out his second consecutive contest because of low back soreness. The Thunder played their first game since announcing Friday that center Chet Holmgren would miss at least two months with a right knee injury.
Oklahoma City visits Cleveland on Monday night. Houston hosts Boston on Monday night.
Photo: Gamecock Central / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
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