Playing in front of home fans and in his first game as a starting center, rookie Jabari Smith Jr. flourished (21 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks) on Monday night versus Utah. He helped lead the Houston Rockets to their first victory of the 2022-23 regular season.
On Wednesday, Smith and the Rockets will get a chance to repeat the feat against the same opponent, which could make for a favorable matchup in the frontcourt. This time, however, Houston is tasked with silencing the Jazz in the high altitude of Salt Lake City.
Sharpshooting forward Lauri Markkanen is arguably Utah’s most accomplished player, but he struggled Monday versus Houston’s undersized frontcourt of Smith, KJ Martin and Eric Gordon, shooting just 7-of-19 from the field (36.8%) and 0-of-6 on 3-pointers. Whether Houston can replicate that defensive effort on the road versus the young seven-footer will be a key variable in the final outcome.