And Alperen Sengun triple dipped.
Well, Jabari Smith Jr. must read TDS. The same day we asked whether or not Smith should be replaced in the starting lineup for the Houston Rockets, he broke out of his slump in a major way. Smith went off for 28 points and 11 boards on 11-for-17 shooting from the field and 5-for-8 shooting from deep to lead the Rockets to a 125-104 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Smith started fast for Houston, and though he trailed off a little bit in second half, it was still enough to lead the Rockets to their fourth straight win and also tally his best game of the season so far.
In addition to Smith, Houston’s defense also had another fine game, which is becoming a nightly occurence for the Rockets. They held the Clippers to just 37.8 percent shooting from the field and 10-for-40 from three while forcing 14 turnovers.
Other Houston performers were Fred VanVleet, who went for 18 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists and 2 steals, snapping a bit of a shooting slump by going 4-for-8 from three. The Rockets also got a 16-point, 10-rebound, 10 assist triple double from Alperen Sengun, though he was just 3-for-9 from the field. The Rockets also got 17 each from Dillon Brooks and Tari Eason, with Eason also racking up 6 rebounds, an assist, 2 steals and a block, and Brooks hitting 5-for-9 on his deep ball. Amen Thompson rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
Houston finally found their long range shooting touch in this one. After struggling with threes for most of the year so far, the Rockets hit on 19-for-44 on Friday night. They shot 48.4 percent overall from the field.
The Clippers were led by former Rockets star James Harden, who finshed with 21 points, while Kris Dunn was the only other Clippers starter with double figures, with 13.
The Rockets now move to 9-4 on the season, and don’t look, but Houston currently stands at third in the Western Conference standings. They’ll return to action Sunday night against the Chicago Bulls.