Jabari Smith Jr. hits wild buzzer-beater to lift Rockets past Trail Blazers to open Summer League

Jabari Smith Jr. tried to steal the opening night of NBA Summer League away from Victor Wembanyama.

With the French phenom waiting in the tunnel for his debut, Smith hit a wild 3-point buzzer-beater from the top of the key with just 0.6 seconds left to lift the Houston Rockets past the Portland Trail Blazers 100-99 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Smith snuck past Portland defenders and caught the pass from behind the halfcourt line before sinking the quick shot perfectly, which sparked a huge celebration in front of a rare sold-out crowd.

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.

Shaedon Sharpe led Portland with 21 points and eight rebounds. Scoot Henderson, who the Trail Blazers took with the No. 3 overall pick last month, had 15 points, six assists and five rebounds in his 21 minutes on Friday. He left early with a shoulder injury, and did not return. Henderson will undergo an MRI on his shoulder, per Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes, and there's optimism that it's not a dislocation.

The Rockets took Smith with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft out of Auburn. He had 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds as a rookie last season for Houston, which missed the playoffs for a third straight season.