Jabari Smith Jr. concluded his rookie season with his 12th 20-point performance on Sunday, helping the Houston Rockets overcome a 16-point deficit and post a 114-109 win over the Washington Wizards.
Smith scored a team-high 20 points and grabbed five rebounds as the Rockets (22-60) closed the regular season with a three-game winning streak.
All five Houston starters scored in double figures for an NBA-best 31st time this season, as Jalen Green added 14 points while Kenyon Martin Jr. and Alperen Sengun tallied 12 apiece. Sengun added 12 rebounds and six assists.
Rookie Tari Eason added 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists off the Houston bench. Josh Christopher was the final starter to reach double figures with 13 points and carried Houston down the stretch with his mid-range shots.
Washington (35-47), which was down eight rotation players, was led by Jordan Goodwin (22 points) and Quenton Jackson, who added 19 off the bench. Corey Kispert tallied 18 points and hit five 3-pointers.
Houston used a 17-3 run in the third quarter to erase what had been a 16-point deficit. Martin scored 10 points during the rally and when Smith completed a three-point play at the 4:20 mark, Houston led 81-76. Martin, Sengun, Green and Smith combined for all 32 third-quarter points.
The Rockets’ fast start deteriorated quickly, buried under an extended Washington run that yielded a 15-point lead for the Wizards. Houston made its first five shot attempts and led 12-4 before the Wizards countered by connecting on 12 of their ensuing 16 shots during a 31-8 rally.
Kispert and Goodwin combined for 23 points as Washington took a 35-20 lead.
The Wizards ran at will, totaling nine fast-break points, and attacked the rim with impunity, compiling 20 paint points. Houston sliced that deficit to 39-31 entering the second but the Wizards rallied again.
Kendrick Nunn and Goodwin stroked 3-pointers to key an 8-0 burst that opened the second and extended the Wizards’ lead to 47-31, their largest of the game.
Washington punished the Rockets from the perimeter, and when Isaiah Todd snapped a 0-for-7 start with a corner 3, the Wizards had their 10th 3-pointer of the half and led 66-53, an advantage Houston shaved to 12 at the intermission.
Four Wizards scored in double figures prior to the break. Goodwin had 17.
–Field Level Media
