Rockets’ Jabari Smith Jr. reached career milestone with 30-point outburst
Jabari Smith Jr. hit a clutch shot late and set a career high on Thursday, but the effort wasn’t enough as the Houston Rockets fell in overtime to the Indiana Pacers.
Smith produced 30 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, two steals and one blocked shot in the 134-125 loss on the road. He shot 10-of-19 from the field, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range, in 47 minutes of work for his ninth double-double of the season.
The third pick hit the game-tying 3-pointer with four seconds left to send it to overtime. He scored 21 points alone in the second half to help lead the Rockets back from a 13-point deficit, but they were unable to close out the victory in the end.
Smith credited the shot to his growing confidence level.
“Just (my) confidence coming back and teammates trusting me and just trusting myself and trusting my work,” Smith said. “I told Daishen (Nix) before I shot it, I was like, ‘I’m fixin’ to make this,’ right before we walked out of the huddle. I just trusted myself.”
JABARI SMITH JR.'S CAREER-HIGH 30TH POINTS SEND THE GAME TO OVERTIME!
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Smith topped his previous season high of 27 points with the performance. He became the ninth rookie this season to record a 30-point game and just the third with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds, joining Paolo Banchero and Jalen Duren.
He has had an up-and-down season but has shown bright spots. Thursday’s 30 points were the high point. He looks to keep this success going and build some positive momentum over their final 16 games.
