Jabari Smith Jr. POWERS Rockets Past Pelicans, ENDS Shooting Slump With SEASON-HIGH 32 Points

Jabari Smith Jr. POWERS Rockets Past Pelicans, ENDS Shooting Slump With SEASON-HIGH 32 Points

Houston Rockets power past the New Orleans Pelicans as Jabari Smith Jr. erupts for a season-high 32 points, breaking free from his shooting slump on his own bobblehead night. Can Smith sustain this momentum and become the consistent offensive weapon the Rockets need for a serious playoff push? The night is bittersweet, as Steven Adams suffers an ankle injury, raising urgent questions about Houston’s frontcourt depth and rotation strategy moving forward.

Host Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) is joined by Rockets fan and YouTuber Bryson (@RedNationBlogga) break down Smith’s resurgence, Kevin Durant’s historic milestone passing Dirk Nowitzki on the all-time scoring list, and Alperen Sengun’s impactful second-half turnaround. The episode also spotlights Amen Thompson’s evolution into a reliable third option, Dorian Finney-Smith’s steady progress, and the tactical challenges head coach Ime Udoka faces with injuries mounting. With the upcoming clash against the San Antonio Spurs, the Rockets’ ability to adapt will be put to the test.

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24 comments
  1. Look how game opens when Jabari can shoot. For example, Pelicans could not double Sengun confortably 2. half just because of that and he manage to score way easier.

  2. What I admire most about Alperen is that he never checks out of the game when his shots aren't falling. Instead of giving up when he’s cold, he steps up his defense, creates plays, and finds other ways to contribute to the team. This 'never-say-die' attitude eventually helps him find his rhythm and start hitting those shots again. This isn't a skill you can just learn; it’s a direct reflection of a character that simply refuses to quit.

  3. This team is clearly worse than last year and moving forward the Rockets are in a shit position trying to win w KD because clearly they won’t, we definitely screwed our future doing this shit and Ime is obviously not whoever tf yall thought he was. He doesn’t create anything offensively he also doesn’t make anyone better Ime will be here for the next four years straddling the 6-3 seed. Amen will never develop a consistent jump shot, he’ll be a dunker spot guy most of his career, Bari can’t finish at the rim for someone his size he’s always been a weak finisher. Alpi is this best player on this team moving forward, but in order for him to truly thrive we will need to trade more assets because obviously having minimal floor spacing around a big that creates is stupid. This was poor management and coaching. Pretending that this mediocre ass team is exciting is unrealistic, we will likely lose Reed or Tari probably both to appease Ime and KD. This shit is trash 🗑️ nobody cares that KD has on red the shit is lame and unproductive

  4. The Rockets coaches should find a way of cutting down KD,Amen & Jabari’s minutes to avoid further players & Team slumps. If they can’t do that,it means they get no bench or they’re not deep like they want us believe

  5. Jabari Smith Jr was having the best season of his career. Then, he had 3 off-games on the offensive end, and 50% of Rockets Twitter were desperate for trading him. The fanbase needs to do better and stop with the toxic childish overreactions. Smith Jr is one of the most important pieces of this team, on both ends of the floor.

  6. This was the pelicans so don’t get your hopes up they could lose the next game by 20 and Jabari goes 0/10 again. Hopefully the Rockets at least make the playoffs

  7. Jabari is really the X factor on this team. When he hits shots the offense is much better when he terrible the offense takes a complete nosedive.

    Still don’t like this offense at all that’s what happens when you have a defensive minded coach im sure a lot of you guys are fellow Texans fans.

    But we need Jabari to hit shots and his defense if we want to go where we need to go

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