Jabari Smith Jr. scores 30 points, Rockets beat Thunder 119-98

Jabari Smith Jr. scored 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Houston Rockets to a 119-98 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night. Marcus Smart contributed 24 points in the win. Smith shot 10 of 18 from the field, including 6 of 12 from beyond the arc. The Rockets shot 46% overall and were 18 of 41 from three-point range as a team.

Alperen Sengun returned to the lineup after sitting out the last two games with lower back soreness and had 16 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists. Kevin Durant scored 14 points for the Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting, and Kenrich Williams and Bennett Stirtz each scored 11 points. The Thunder began the season 4-0 but lost their second straight game.

Isaiah Hartenstein and Jared McCain added 10 points each for the Thunder, who shot 44% overall and were 10 of 32 from three-point range. Houston led by 37-30 at the start of the second quarter and extended their lead to 55-34 after an 18-4 run, which came in response to Amen Thompson's tip-in with 6:10 remaining in the half. The Rockets outscored Oklahoma City 17-8 in the final six minutes to maintain their 12-point lead for the rest of the game.

Fred VanVleet was absent due to a right knee injury, and Reed Sheppard missed his second consecutive game with low back soreness. The Thunder played their first game following the announcement that rookie Chet Holmgren would miss at least two months because of a right knee injury. The Rockets face Boston on Monday night, while the Thunder will host Cleveland on the same date.