The Houston Rockets bounced back from their loss to the New York Knicks with a 125-105 victory over the tanking Utah Jazz on Tuesday.
Jabari Smith Jr. led all scorers with 31 points on 12-for-17 shooting, while Amen Thompson added 20 on a nearly perfect 8-for-9 clip. Kevin Durant, Houston’s leading scorer this season, had a modest 18-point output, but also had 5 rebounds and a game-high 12 dimes. All-Star big man Alperen Sengun added a near triple-double of 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists.
Lauri Markkanen’s 29 points led the Jazz, who dropped their third straight. Brice Sensabaugh added 26 off the bench.
Rockets Aiming for a Top-Four Seed
The Rockets’ win put them percentage points ahead of the Denver Nuggets for the third seed in the hyper-competitive West and one game clear of the Los Angeles Lakers for fourth place.
At the moment, the third and fourth seeds in the West are hotly contested, with the Minnesota Timberwolves also in contention. Even the Phoenix Suns are on the outside looking in, but with a mathematical chance of still making it.
Houston will look to fortify its aspirations of nailing a top-four seed on Thursday as it goes for back-to-back wins against the Sacramento Kings. The Jazz, on the other hand, will play the New Orleans Hornets next on Friday.
