Jabari Smith Jr. delivered a dominant performance with 31 points and nine rebounds, while Amen Thompson added 20 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a commanding 125-105 victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday night. <\/p>\n
Smith set the tone early, knocking down his first five shots and tying a career-high with 14 points in the opening quarter. He finished the game shooting an efficient 12-of-17 from the field, including six three-pointers, News.Az<\/a> reports, citing AP<\/a>.<\/p>\n Thompson was nearly flawless, converting 8 of his 9 attempts from the floor. In addition to his 20 points, he contributed seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in a well-rounded effort.<\/p>\n Kevin Durant<\/a> chipped in 18 points and recorded a season-high 12 assists, while Reed Sheppard provided a spark off the bench with 15 points.<\/p>\n With the victory, the Rockets improved to 35-21 and moved into third place in the Western Conference standings, trailing only Oklahoma City and San Antonio.<\/p>\n Houston overcame nine first-quarter turnovers by using decisive scoring bursts of 11-2 and 10-3 to build a 38-22 lead after the opening period. The Rockets were highly efficient offensively, shooting 67 percent from the field and hitting eight shots from beyond the arc in the first quarter alone.<\/p>\n The Jazz responded at the start of the second quarter with a 13-2 run, but Houston quickly regained control. The Rockets answered with an 18-2 surge over the next six minutes to take a commanding 68-47 advantage into halftime.<\/p>\n Houston extended its lead to as many as 33 points in the second half and never allowed the margin to dip below 16 points.<\/p>\n The Rockets generated 29 fast-break points \u2014 one shy of their season-high \u2014 but struggled with ball security, committing a season-high 27 turnovers that resulted in 34 Utah points.<\/p>\n Lauri Markkanen paced the Jazz (18-40) with 29 points as Utah dropped its third consecutive game. Brice Sensabaugh added 26 points off the bench on an efficient 10-for-15 shooting performance.<\/p>\n Utah forward Vince Williams Jr. exited in the second quarter after sustaining a left knee injury and had to be helped to the locker room. He did not return.<\/p>\n Up next, the Jazz will host the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday and Saturday, while the Rockets will welcome the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.<\/p>\n