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Houston, Texas: Jabari Smith Jr. Scores 30 as Rockets Beat Thunder 119-98 at Toyota Center

Jabari Smith Jr. scored 30 points, Marcus Smart made seven 3-pointers for 24, and Alperen Sengun returned with 16 points, nine rebounds and nine assists as Houston beat a short handed Oklahoma City team 119-98 on Saturday night.

By Orbit Post2 min read
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Houston, Texas: Jabari Smith Jr. Scores 30 as Rockets Beat Thunder 119-98 at Toyota Center

Key points

  • Jabari Smith Jr.
  • Alperen Sengun returned after missing two games and finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
  • Smart started in place of Fred VanVleet, who rested, and he hit his first three shots from 3-point range in the first quarter.

Jabari Smith Jr. scored 30 points and Marcus Smart added 24 with seven 3-pointers as the Houston Rockets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 119-98 on Saturday night at Toyota Center, one night after Houston took its first loss of the season in Dallas.

Alperen Sengun returned after missing two games and finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Houston improved to 6-1 and stayed unbeaten at home. Oklahoma City fell to 4-2 with a second straight loss, and the Thunder played without three starters.

Smart sets the tone early

Smart started in place of Fred VanVleet, who rested, and he hit his first three shots from 3-point range in the first quarter. He scored 12 points in the period and made three free throws. Kevin Durant scored 10 of his 14 points in the quarter, and Houston made 10 of 11 free throws to lead 35-26.

Houston pulled away in the second quarter and led by as many as 27 points. A reverse layup by Sengun made it 51-34, and a second chance basket by Amen Thompson pushed the lead to 21. Oklahoma City answered with a 10-0 run, but a Smith 3-pointer and a Thompson dunk steadied Houston, which led 62-51 at halftime.

Smith closes the door

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 26 points for the Thunder and nearly kept his team in the game by himself in the third quarter. His back to back 3-pointers cut a 21 point deficit to 13, at 83-70. Houston pushed the lead back to 92-75 by the end of the quarter. Smith then closed the game out early in the fourth, hitting a pull up jumper and another 3-pointer to stretch the margin to 103-81 with 8:39 left.

Smith shot 6 for 12 from 3-point range and added nine rebounds and five assists. Smart finished 7 for 10 from beyond the arc. Houston made 18 of 41 shots from long range as a team, a 43.9 percent clip that Oklahoma City never matched.

A short handed Thunder team

Oklahoma City played without Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace, all out with long term injuries. Kenrich Williams made three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. Jared McCain scored 10 points, and Isaiah Hartenstein had 10 points and seven rebounds.

What is next

Houston stays home and hosts the Boston Celtics on Monday, November 2. Oklahoma City travels to Cleveland on Monday for a 6 p.m. Central tipoff.

Timeline

  1. Oct 28, 2026Oklahoma City loses 120-96 on the road to the Dallas Mavericks.
  2. Oct 30, 2026Houston loses 116-111 at Dallas, its first defeat of the season.
  3. Oct 31, 2026Jabari Smith Jr. scores 30 points as Houston beats Oklahoma City 119-98 at Toyota Center.

Sources