Smith, Rockets earn first win of season over Kessler’s Jazz

The first meeting between former Auburn teammates went in favor of Jabari Smith and the Houston Rockets.

The much-anticipated matchup between former Auburn first-rounders [autotag]Walker Kessler[/autotag] and [autotag]Jabari Smith[/autotag] resulted in a career day for the latter.

Smith scored a career-high 21 points while shooting 60% from the field in the Houston Rockets’ 114-108 win over the Utah Jazz on Monday night at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. He just missed out on his second-straight game with a double-double, as he pulled down nine rebounds in the win. He was also one of three players for Houston to reach at least 20 points in scoring, joining Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr.

On the other side of the match, Kessler was limited to just eight minutes on the floor for the Jazz after getting into foul trouble. He ended the night with four personal fouls and zero points, but he was able to grab a rebound and a steal in his short time on the court.

These two will go at it again on Wednesday night, but this time from Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City. Tipoff for Wednesday’s rematch between the Rockets and Jazz is set for 8 p.m. CT.

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