The Houston Rockets delivered a stellar performance against the Utah Jazz, marked by exceptional ball movement and a season-high 34 assists. Led by a career-best performance from Smith Jr. and strong contributions from Durant, Thompson, and Eason, the Rockets improved to 35-21 on the season.
after a shocking fourth quarter collapse against the Knicks, and boy did they do that on Monday night back at home. The Rockets took advantage of aThe Rockets improve to 35-21 on the season. Six Rockets players were in double digits by the end of the game, and it was a comprehensive win for the most part besides the turnovers.
Feb 23, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard celebrates forward Kevin Durant and forward Tari Eason play against the Utah Jazz in the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Imagesat times with being stagnant and not getting quality looks. That was not the case at all in this game, as the Rockets were flying all over the court. The key reason for offensive success was the high level of ball movement. Houston looked like a team playing together and sharing the ball. The Rockets got wide open shots at the rim and looked to be having fun, while draining the open 3-pointers. The Rockets had 22 first half assists compared to 11 for the Jazz. All-Star forward Kevin Durant had nine of those dimes in the first half and ended up with a season high 12 assists and 18 points. Houston eventually put up a season high 34 assists. Rockets point guard Amen Thompson was 8/8 from the field with 20 points. Tari Eason added an 11/10 double-double and added four assists. Center Alperen Sengun put up a 16/9/9 performance.Smith Jr. has significantly picked up his performances over the past few weeks in February, and he had one of the best games of his career in this one. Smith Jr. put up 31 points in 33 minutes on 12/17 shooting. He was on a heater from beyond the arc, going 6/11 from three. Smith Jr. added nine rebounds, three steals and three blocks. He had 22 points in the first half on a remarkable 9/11 shooting. Smith Jr. was the main reason why Houston’s lead exploded early and this was the best first half of his career. This was his 11th straight game with double-digit points.While the Rockets may have had a bit of slow start through the first five minutes, that changed pretty quickly. Houston got things going around the seven minute mark and never looked back. The Rockets were up 38-22 after the end of the first quarter. Houston was a massive favorite in this one, and the Jazz just had Lauri Markkanen as the primary scorer. Houston was just on fire offensively to begin the game, and that continued for the whole first half. The Rockets were 14/20 from the field in the first quarter. Houston upped their lead to 21 points at the half, 68-47. The Rockets 3-point shooting was looking particularly great. While they are a good 3-point shooting team in general, the volume is generally low. Houston was letting it fly in this one and rightfully so. The Rockets shot 64% from the field in the first half and was 8/16 from three. It was such dominance in the first 24 minutes that allowed them to eventually cruise to a victory in the second half. Houston built up a 33-point lead in the third quarter. The one problem was the turnovers again, as it has been throughout the season. Houston was quite careless and had a season high 26 that gave up 34 Jazz points. The Rockets ended up plus-20 on the defensive boards.MAANAV GUPTA Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI and Houston Rockets on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.
Houston Rockets NBA Kevin Durant Smith Jr. Basketball Utah Jazz
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