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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Ben DuBose

Reaction: Rockets stun Celtics, Jabari Smith Jr. continues 20-10 binge

Jabari Smith Jr Jabari Smith Rockets Celtics Jalen Green Boston (Organization) Kevin Porter Jr Houston (Organization) Stephen Silas Houston Rockets

The recent surge by rookie forward Jabari Smith Jr. continues for the young Houston Rockets.

Smith had 24 points and 12 rebounds — his third consecutive game with 20 or more points and 10-plus rebounds — as the Rockets pulled a massive 111-109 upset over the visiting Boston Celtics, one of the NBA’s best teams, on Monday (box score).

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“I’m just letting it go,” Smith told AT&T SportsNet’s Vanessa Richardson of his improvements as a shooter. “I’m trusting my work. I’ve been playing basketball since I was born. I’m trusting my work, trusting what got me here, and just letting it fly.”

Boston fell to 47-22 with the shocking loss. Houston improved to 16-52. The win didn’t immediately harm the Rockets in the 2023 draft race, either, since fellow bottom-feeder Detroit (16-53) had an upset win of its own over Indiana.

Smith, who started at center due to a minor injury for Alperen Sengun, connected on 9-of-11 shots (81.8%) against the Celtics, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range (83.3%). Jalen Green scored a team-high 28 points for Houston, while starting point guard Kevin Porter Jr. dished 13 assists while committing one turnover.

KJ Martin added 20 points and 8 rebounds and was a force when attacking the rim in transition, making 8-of-13 shots (61.5%).

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 43 points on 16-of-25 shooting (64%), including 4-of-10 on 3-pointers (40%). Fellow All-Star Jayson Tatum had 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, though he shot just 8-of-22 from the field (36.4%), 2-of-10 on 3-pointers (20.0%), and his attempt at a tying shot in the final seconds rolled off the rim.

Scroll on for highlights, analysis and postgame interviews. Next up is Houston’s third game of this six-game homestand on Wednesday versus the Los Angeles Lakers. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. Central.

Highlights

Analysis and Interviews

 

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