Prized rookie Jabari Smith Jr. wasn’t very efficient in his first three NBA games, but that changed in a big way in Houston’s 114-108 victory (box score) over Utah on Monday.
Playing as a starting center for the first time, Smith had 21 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocked shots against the Jazz in 34 minutes, shooting 6-of-10 from the field (60%) and 3-of-5 on 3-pointers (60%). He also made all six of his free-throw attempts, including four straight in the final 30 seconds to put the game away.
