Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. was in the throes of another poor shooting performance on Tuesday against the Chicago Bulls, the latest in a slump that began when the calendar turned.
Smith, who entered Tuesday shooting 30.1% this month and 17.1% from behind the arc, missed his first five 3-pointers before coming alive down the stretch of a 119-113 victory that snapped the Rockets’ three-game skid and started a five-game homestand that continues Thursday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Smith scored 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, including eight in succession inside the final three minutes, a stretch that featured a pair of timely 3-pointers. Smith lingered a bit in his recent struggles, but his teammates were present and offered support during his difficult stretch.
“I was putting the blame on me for the losses. I feel like if I step up and do my job, we win the game,” Smith said. That was the biggest thing, and everybody telling me don’t look at it like that.
“Everybody (was) just staying on me and putting the confidence in me. Everybody’s seen me make shots, everybody’s seen me have a hot streak the same way I had a cold streak. Just remembering who I am and the work I put in this game (was key). My teammates were very, very supportive for sure.”
Before Smith seized control, the Rockets salvaged the game by committing only one turnover in the second half after the Bulls converted eight first-half Houston turnovers into 13 points before the break. Ball security continues to shape the success Houston enjoys on the offensive end.
“It feels like when we try to get too cute and don’t make the simple pass out of the double, we get a lot of those turnovers,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “But at the same time, it’s just some randomness as well. We’ve got a lot of guys that push in transition, and a lot of them happened there. … The guys that are going to handle the most, being strong with the ball (is vital).”
The Thunder earned their first victory in four games against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, rolling to a 119-98 win which showcased their might when every aspect of their game is in sync.
Having followed their second two-game skid of the season with four consecutive wins, the Thunder appear to be reasserting their early-season dominance. Those three losses to the Spurs, plus surprising setbacks against the Phoenix Suns and Charlotte Hornets earlier this month, framed the Thunder as vulnerable, a contrast to their historic 24-1 start to the season.
In short order, the Thunder seem to have reclaimed their form. After misplacing their identity as the preeminent team in the NBA, the Thunder righted their ship by revisiting their consistency.
“Every single game is an opportunity to be as consistent to your identity as you can,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “Even in the worst games, you have great possessions; even in the best games, you have bad possessions. We’re just trying to be as consistent as possible, possession-by-possession, game after game.
“And so there’s not like a certain form that you take over a period of time. It vacillates in and out in the season and in games, and the trick is staying there as long as possible and getting back on track when you’re not there.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge, as he often does, with 34 points. He’s second in the league in scoring at 31.9 points per game, trailing only Luka Doncic (33.4).
