Jabari Smith Jr. poured in 33 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a 199-99 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA Summer league on Friday at Thomas and Mach Center.
In March 2023, in a game late in the NBA’s 2022-23 regular season against the New Orleans Pelicans, the Rockets were down by one point with four seconds left on the clock.
The Trail Blazers jumped out to a quick 12-4 start but the Rockets fought back to make it a two-point game after one quarter. The Blazers stayed in front through the second and maintained a six-point lead at halftime, still the Rockets kept it close and brought it back to a five-point deficit heading into the final quarter. The Rockets picked up momentum in the fourth and after a few lead changes, they closed the game with a wild rally capped off by a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Smith Jr. to complete the comeback win.
Smith finished with 33 points and seven rebounds in the win. He shot 8-of-18 from the field, and 29 of his 33 points came in the second half. Tari Eason added 20 points and nine rebounds for the Rockets. Amen Thompson, who the Rockets took with the No. 4 overall pick last month, finished with 16 points in his Summer League debut, though he left in the second half after spraining his ankle. According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, the injury is not considered to be serious.
Smith secured 29 of his points during the second half and put a bow on it with a game-winning buzzer-beater from beyond the arc. The 2022 No. 3 overall pick was a huge disappointment in his rookie year, failing to impress on either end of the hardwood. Smith posted 12.8 points, 7.2 boards, and 1.5 threes on 40.8% shooting overall across 31 minutes per game in 2022-2023. The 20-year-old is likely to represent a popular fantasy breakout candidate in many circles this fall
The opening night of the NBA 2K24 Summer League in Las Vegas was supposed to be all about the pro debut of 2023 No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama, whose San Antonio Spurs were playing the Charlotte Hornets and No. 2 draft pick Brandon Miller, a former Alabama All-American.
But before Wembanyama could even get on the court at the Thomas and Mack Center on Friday night, Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. already was stealing the show.
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