Houston beat Oklahoma City 119-98, led by 27 and had one lead change in the whole game. Jabari Smith Jr. and Marcus Smart supplied the shooting that decided it, and the Rockets are 6-1 and second in the West.
First quarter
Houston went up 35-26 after one quarter and kept the lead all night. Jabari Smith Jr. finished 10-for-18 from the field and 6-for-12 from three for 30 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. His +33 in 33 minutes was the best mark on either team. Grade: A.
Second quarter
Houston ran off 10 straight from 34-45 to 34-55 before Oklahoma City answered with 10 of its own to cut it to 44-55. Then another Rockets 10-0 started with 0:42 left in the half and reached 51-70 early in the third. Marcus Smart hit 7 of 10 from deep for 24 points, +20 in 36 minutes. Grade: A.
Third quarter
The lead was 92-75 entering the fourth. Alperen Sengun shot 6-for-17 but had 16 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists, +19. Grade: B. Amen Thompson went 3-for-8 for 8 points, with no threes and +4 in 28 minutes. Grade: C. Oklahoma City played without Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, and it showed on the glass and at the rim.
Fourth quarter
A final 10-0 run took it from 81-98 to 81-108, and the biggest lead was 27. Nobody on Houston finished with a negative plus-minus. Starters scored 92 and the reserves 20, with Isaiah Crawford adding 8 points, +13 in 19 minutes. Sengun and Smart were in the closing five, but the final minutes were mostly reserves, and the Thunder never got closer than 17.
This week
At 6-1, Houston is the No. 2 seed and 3.5 games ahead of the 11th spot. The Rockets did it on no rest, with four games in the previous seven days. Fred VanVleet and Reed Sheppard are day-to-day, and Steven Adams is out; by our count, all 6 players on this club newly listed day-to-day since Oct. 20 missed the next game. Smart is 139 points from 7,500, a projected 12 games at his current pace.
How did the Rockets beat the Thunder?
Houston won 119-98 behind 30 points from Jabari Smith Jr. and 24 from Marcus Smart on 7-for-10 three-point shooting. The Rockets led by as many as 27, and Oklahoma City was missing Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.
Where do the Rockets stand in the West?
They are 6-1 and the No. 2 seed. That puts them 3.5 games ahead of the 11th spot.
