Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. had elite scoring nights in Houston’s big win at Toronto, and the Rockets (2-2) now own the NBA’s top-rated offense.
The Rockets became the NBA’s top-rated offense (125.2) after Wednesday’s 139-121 blowout victory (box score) at Toronto. By defeating the Raptors (1-4), Houston (2-2) evened its record on the 2025-26 regular season and is now on its first winning streak.
With Raptors center Jakob Poeltl sidelined by a sore back, Houston crushed its smaller opponent with a 64-29 rebounding advantage. That led to numerous second-chance opportunities.
For both teams, key statistical lines included:
Kevin Durant: 31 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks; 11-of-19 shooting (57.9%), 4-of-8 on 3-pointers (50.0%), 5-of-8 on free throws (62.5%)Jabari Smith Jr.: 25 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals; 8-of-16 shooting (50.0%), 4-of-9 on 3-pointers (44.4%), 5-of-6 on free throws (83.3%)Alperen Sengun: 18 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals; 6-of-8 shooting (75.0%), 1-of-2 on 3-pointers (50.0%), 5-of-8 on free throws (62.5%)Amen Thompson: 18 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 turnovers; 7-of-13 shooting (53.8%), 4-of-5 on free throws (80.0%)Tari Eason: 14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 turnovers, 4 assists, 2 steals; 6-of-11 shooting (53.5%), 2-of-3 on 3-pointers (66.7%)Steven Adams: 12 points, 12 rebounds (8 offensive), 2 assists; 5-of-6 shooting (83.3%)Scottie Barnes (Raptors): 31 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals; 11-of-18 shooting (61.1%), 4-of-7 on 3-pointers (57.1%)Brandon Ingram (Raptors): 29 points, 4 assists, 4 turnovers; 11-of-16 shooting (68.8%), 5-of-7 on 3-pointers (71.4%)
Led by the likes of Durant, Smith, and Sengun, Houston’s advantages when it came to offensive firepower and size were enough that the Rockets won comfortably despite Toronto shooting a blistering 21-of-40 from 3-point range (52.5%).
When asked postgame by Space City Home Network’s Vanessa Richardson about his favorite part of the win, Smith said:
Just how unselfish everybody was. I don’t know how many assists we had (31), but I know it was a lot. Everybody wants to double Alpi or KD, and it leaves me wide open. So, I’m loving it, and we’re just playing off of that. We’re playing unselfish and sharing the ball.
In contrast to their elite offense, Houston ranks only 19th among the NBA’s 30 teams on defense (116.0 rating). Of course, given that the season is just eight days old, there is still plenty of time for both metrics to change.
The Rockets owned the league’s fifth-best defense last season.
“When we got defensive stops and got out in transition, the game just got easier,” Smith said postgame. “The game just flowed better. We’ve got to get back to being us, and get more stops. We feel like 121 (points) is too many, so weve got to lock in a little bit more on the defensive end.”
Houston returns to action with Saturday’s game at Boston, where tipoff versus the Celtics (2-3) is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Central. The game will be televised regionally on Space City Home Network and nationally via NBA League Pass.