With a 68-43 advantage, the Houston Rockets dominated the rebounding battle in Friday’s 119-109 road victory (box score) over the Memphis Grizzlies.
It was very much by design.
“I just came out with a desperate mindset, crashing,” said Jabari Smith Jr., who finished with 21 points (43.8% FG), 4 assists, and a season-high 16 rebounds in Memphis.
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“The energy needs to be there all the time,” Smith added. “I was making an emphasis on boxing out. My boxing out been pretty bad lately. My rebounding numbers were pretty low, so I’m just trying to make an emphasis on it.”
Smith has averaged 14.0 rebounds over his last two games. In his previous 12 outings, he had averaged just 5.5 boards per game.
For the Rockets as a team, who entered Friday after two frustrating losses in Chicago and Minnesota, it was a sorely needed win as they try to stabilize themselves. Houston (44-29) remains at No. 6 in the Western Conference standings, which would put the Rockets in line for a matchup against the third-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2026 playoffs.
“I thought the effort was there from the start,” said head coach Ime Udoka. “It felt more energized out there.”
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“We let two games go, lately,” Smith added. “I just wanted to play hard. … We were competing tonight. The mindset was in the right place. Everybody was connected, had good communication. And we came out with the dub.”
Beyond Smith, other individual standouts included:
Kevin Durant: 25 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds; 8-of-14 shooting (57.1%), 3-of-7 on 3-pointers (42.9%), 6-of-7 on free throws (85.7%)
Amen Thompson: 18 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals; 7-of-15 shooting (46.7%)
Alperen Sengun: 14 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 blocks; 6-of-13 shooting (46.2%)
Reed Sheppard: 15 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 steals; 3-of-7 on 3-pointers (42.9%)
Tari Eason: 16 points, 7 rebounds; 6-of-14 shooting (42.9%), +11 in 29 minutes
Olivier-Maxence Prosper (Grizzlies): 31 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals; 12-of-15 shooting (80.0%), 4-of-5 on 3-pointers (80.0%)
Off Houston’s bench, Jae’Sean Tate received minutes that usually go to Dorian Finney-Smith, who was seemingly pulled from the rotation. Udoka said postgame that he plans to evaluate various options and combinations before the playoffs, adding that “Josh (Okogie) and Dorian will get another chance.”
But perhaps more important than any individual was the spirit of the collective group. To do that, both Durant and Smith pointed to an effective shootaround and film session in the aftermath of Wednesday’s brutal loss to the Timberwolves.
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“We try to say that we’re this tough team, that we’re this gritty team,” Smith said. “But we haven’t been that lately.”
“We’re just focused on putting together full games. Toughness comes with not just playing hard and mixing it up on the court, but mentally, too. Moving on to the next play. Encouraging your teammates, taking criticism. We’re all trying to get better at that, and we are getting better at that.”
The next opportunity to put that to the test comes Sunday night in New Orleans, where the Rockets will wrap up a four-game road trip.
Tipoff versus the Pelicans (25-50) is at 6:00 p.m. Central, and the game will be televised and streamed regionally on Space City Home Network and nationally via NBA League Pass. It could be a more challenging matchup than the records indicate, since New Orleans has a winning record (10-9) since the All-Star break in mid-February.
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Houston is just 19-19 on the road this season.
More: In historic collapse at Minnesota, Rockets lament ‘worst’ loss yet
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: ‘Desperate mindset’: Jabari Smith Jr. wants Rockets to get tough