HOUSTON — Rockets rookie Jabari Smith Jr. continued his memorable March with the biggest moment of his NBA career so far.
With his team down one and time running out, Smith buried a deep 3-pointer with only 0.4 seconds left in Friday’s game, giving Houston a 114-112 victory (box score) over the visiting New Orleans Pelicans. It sent Toyota Center into a frenzy and lifted a young Rockets squad to its first three-game winning streak of the 2022-23 season.
New Orleans fell to 33-37 with the loss, while Houston improved to 18-52 following its fifth win in eight games.
For Smith, who drilled a game-tying 3-pointer in the closing seconds last Thursday in Indiana, it’s his second time in eight days to come through when it mattered most for the Rockets.
This time, Houston trailed by double digits for much of second half, but they staged a furious rally in the fourth quarter to climb past Brandon Ingram (31 points, 6 assists) and the Pelicans.
Jalen Green led the Rockets with 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists on 10-of-20 shooting (50.0%). Those numbers included a long two-pointer in the final minute, which brought Houston within a point and set the stage for Smith’s heroics on the final possession.
Kevin Porter Jr. added 20 points for the Rockets on 5-of-12 shooting from 3-point range (41.7%), while Alperen Sengun had 17 points and 11 rebounds on 8-of-17 shooting (47.1%).
But it was the Smith (11 points, 8 rebounds) who went out as a hero, and for good reason. Here’s a look at how fans and players across the NBA reacted in real-time to the 19-year-old — drafted at No. 3 overall in the 2022 first round — making a name for himself in crunch time.