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Boston Celtics at Orlando Magic
2026-27 · Regular season
Houston Rockets beat Oklahoma City Thunder 119-98 as Jabari Smith Jr. scores 30 and Marcus Smart makes seven threes
Jabari Smith Jr. scored 30, Marcus Smart went 7 of 10 from three and Alperen Sengun returned with 16, 9 and 9 as Houston bounced back from its first loss and handed Oklahoma City a second straight defeat.
In this article
Jabari Smith Jr. scored 30 points and Marcus Smart made 7 of 10 threes for 24 as the Houston Rockets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 119-98 at Toyota Center on Saturday, October 31. Houston bounced back from its first loss of the season a night earlier in Dallas and is 6-1. Oklahoma City has lost two in a row after a 4-0 start and is 4-2.
Smith made 10 of 18 shots and 6 of 12 threes, with 9 rebounds and 5 assists, and finished plus-33 in 33 minutes. Alperen Sengun, back after missing two games with lower back soreness, had 16 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists. Kevin Durant added 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting and 6-of-6 free throws, with 3 blocks.
Video: Houston Rockets / X.
How it turned
The game got chippy early. Smart and Smith were both called for technical fouls in the first four minutes, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made both free throws. Smart scored 12 points in the first quarter, and Houston led 35-26 after one.
A 37-30 lead early in the second quarter became 55-34 after an 18-4 burst that ended with Amen Thompson’s tip-in at 6:10. The Thunder closed the half on a 17-7 run to get within 62-51, but Houston scored the first 8 points of the third quarter: a Sengun basket, a Smart jumper and a Smith three with 10:04 left made it 70-51. Oklahoma City never got closer than 12 again, and Smart’s three with 7:46 left in the fourth gave the Rockets their biggest lead, 108-81.
Video: Houston Rockets / X.
The numbers
Houston made 18 of 41 threes and had 29 assists against 10 turnovers. Smith, Smart and Sengun all finished at least plus-19. Tari Eason and Isaiah Crawford scored 8 each off the bench. The Rockets played without Fred VanVleet (right knee injury management), Reed Sheppard (back) and Steven Adams.
The Thunder’s side
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 26 on 10-of-20 shooting in 31 minutes. Kenrich Williams and rookie Bennett Stirtz had 11 each, and Isaiah Hartenstein and Jared McCain scored 10 apiece. Oklahoma City shot 10 of 32 from three and led only briefly, early in the first quarter.
It was the Thunder’s first game since Chet Holmgren was ruled out for 8 to 10 weeks with a right knee injury. Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace also sat out. More on how Oklahoma City has done without Holmgren here.
What’s next
The Rockets host the Boston Celtics on Monday, November 2, at 8:30 p.m. ET (3:30 a.m. Tuesday Cairo time). The Thunder visit the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, November 2, at 7 p.m. ET (2 a.m. Tuesday Cairo time).
Full box score and play-by-play: Game Center. All-time head-to-head.
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