Smith (groin) accumulated 11 points (3-3 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 4-4 FT), six rebounds, one block and one steal across 25 minutes during Sunday's 95-85 loss to the Warriors in Game 1 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
Smith didn't light up the scoreboard during his time on the court, but he was efficient with his limited opportunities and ended up pacing the Houston bench in minutes. The Rockets shot just 20.7 percent from downtown as a team in Game 1, so head coach Ime Udoka could look to open up more minutes for Smith in Game 2 if he wants to get an extra perimeter threat on the court.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Ready to face Denver
Rotowire
Smith (groin) is not on the injury report ahead of Sunday's game against the Nuggets.
The Rockets rested their regular rotation players in the last two contests, but that won't be the case Sunday because this is the final chance the Rockets will have to log competitive minutes until the playoffs start April 19. As such, Smith should see his regular workload in the frontcourt, though he's expected to come off the bench, as that's been the case in recent weeks. He's started in just six of his 24 appearances since the All-Star break.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Questionable against LAL
Rotowire
Smith (groin) has been listed as questionable for Friday's game against the Lakers.
Smith missed Wednesday's win against the Clippers due to a groin injury but has a chance to play Friday. The third-year forward is averaging 12.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 43.8 percent from the floor and 35.4 percent from beyond the arc.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Ruled out vs. LAC
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Smith (groin) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Clippers, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.com reports.
Smith is coming off a near double-double in Sunday's win against the Warriors but will watch from the sideline Wednesday in Los Angeles. Houston is already in playoff mode, with the team's priority being the health of its star players, which means Tari Eason, Jeff Green and Jae'Sean Tate will likely see more minutes on the floor.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Good to go Sunday
Rotowire
Smith (ankle) is available for Sunday's game against the Warriors, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Smith will shake off a questionable tag Sunday due to a sprained right ankle. The 21-year-old big man has played at least 26 minutes off the bench in six straight games, averaging 12.8 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists across 28.8 minutes per contest.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Questionable to play Sunday
Rotowire
Smith is questionable for Sunday's game against the Warriors due to a right ankle sprain.
A decision on Smith's status will be made closer to Sunday's 8:30 p.m. ET tipoff. However, he's not expected to play a big role in the rotation even if he does suit up, as Tari Eason is expected to start at power forward, meaning Smith would be limited to a bench role.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Double-double off bench in rout
Rotowire
Smith closed Wednesday's 143-105 win over Utah with 15 points (6-16 FG, 2-9 3Pt, 1-1 FT), 14 rebounds and two assists over 27 minutes.
The third-year forward led Houston's second unit in minutes, points and boards as he recorded his eighth double-double of the season. Three of them have come in his last four appearances, and Smith has scored in double digits in 10 of the last 11 games (one start), a span in which he's averaging 14.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.8 threes, 1.4 assists and 0.8 steals in 27.2 minutes a contest.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Productive off bench
Rotowire
Smith contributed 17 points (5-12 FG, 3-9 3Pt, 4-4 FT), five rebounds, one assist and two steals in 33 minutes during Tuesday's 121-114 victory over the Hawks.
Although Smith has seen 28.4 minutes across 14 March appearances, his fantasy appeal has left a lot to be desired. During that span, Smith has been outside the top-150 in nine-category formats with 13.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.6 blocks and 1.9 three-pointers.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Back in starting role
Rotowire
Smith is in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Bulls, Lachard Binkley of SI.com reports.
The Rockets will be without Tari Eason due to left lower leg injury management, so Smith will be promoted to the starting lineup as a result. Smith was a starter in the first months of the season but has returned to the bench after recovering from a hand injury. He's averaging 11.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game in a starting role this season.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Moving to bench role
Rotowire
Smith is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Suns, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Smith will return to the bench due to the presence of Fred VanVleet (ankle) in the starting lineup. Smith has played off the bench in five of his previous 10 contests, averaging 12.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Drops 16 off bench Thursday
Rotowire
Smith racked up 16 points (6-13 FG, 2-8 3Pt, 2-4 FT), five rebounds, one assist and one block in 28 minutes off the bench during Thursday's 109-97 win over the Pelicans.
After starting the last two contests, Smith shifted back to the second unit Thursday but came through with his best scoring performance in eight games since returning from a fractured left hand after the All-Star break. The third-year forward is averaging 10.5 points, 7.3 boards and 1.5 threes in 30.6 minutes since rejoining the lineup, and he'll likely continue floating between the starting five and the bench as the Rockets try to find the best spot for him in the rotation.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Starting Monday vs. OKC
Rotowire
Smith is in the Rockets' starting lineup against the Thunder on Monday, Lachard Binkley of SI.com reports.
Four of the Rockets' five starters against the Kings on Saturday are not playing Monday, so Smith will re-enter the starting lineup alongside Jalen Green, Reed Sheppard, Cam Whitmore and Jock Landale. Smith has averaged 9.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists over 30.4 minutes per game in his five games since returning from a hand fracture.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Sliding to bench Saturday
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Head coach Ime Udoka said Friday that Smith will operate off the bench in Saturday's game against the Kings, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.
With Fred VanVleet (ankle) expected to reclaim his role in the starting five on Saturday, Smith will slide to the bench. The 21-year-old forward should still see significant playing time in the second unit, though the Rockets will stick with Amen Thompson in the starting lineup for the time being. Over his last four outings (two starts) following a 22-game absence due to a fractured hand, Smith has averaged 10.0 points and 7.3 rebounds in 33.0 minutes per contest.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Notches 13 points
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Smith logged 13 points (4-10 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 4-4 FT) and eight rebounds across 33 minutes during Tuesday's 100-97 win over Milwaukee.
Playing in just his third game since returning from an extended injury absence, Smith shifted to the bench for this game with Tari Eason getting the starting nod. Houston's lineup may not be set in stone going forward, as the team is waiting to get Fred VanVleet (ankle) back from his injury. Plus, they will likely be looking to find a way to keep Amen Thompson heavily involved in what has been a breakout season for the forward. With that in mind, Smith's upside may not be as high as it was prior to his injury.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Struggles against Utah
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Smith produced three points (1-8 FG, 1-5 3Pt), two rebounds and one assist across 29 minutes during Saturday's 124-115 loss to the Jazz.
In just his second game back from a 22-game absence due to fractured hand, Smith was inserted into the Rockets' starting lineup due to the absence of Tari Eason (lower leg injury management). Smith struggled to get anything going during Saturday's loss, missing on all but one of his eight field-goal attempts while finishing with a minus-10 point differential, which was tied with Jalen Green for worst on the team. Smith and the Rockets will look to bounce back against the Bucks on Tuesday.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Gets huge minutes off bench
Rotowire
Smith (hand) tallied 15 points (5-9 FG, 4-6 3Pt, 1-2 FT), nine rebounds, two assists and one block across 38 minutes in Friday's 121-115 win over the Timberwolves.
Smith had started in each of his previous 188 NBA games, but the Rockets brought the 21-year-old power forward off the bench for the first time in his career after he had missed the previous 22 contests while recovering from a fractured left hand. Despite coming off the bench, Smith was operating with no restrictions, as he ranked third on the team in minutes and turned in an efficient scoring performance. Considering he had averaged 30.9 minutes per game for the season prior to getting hurt, Smith's 38-minute workload from Friday shouldn't be regarded as the new norm. However, Smith is likely to eventually take back his starting spot from Tari Eason, which could happen as soon as the Rockets' game in Utah on Saturday. Eason will be a candidate to sit out the second leg of the back-to-back set for lower leg injury management.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Won't undergo surgery
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Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said Saturday that Smith will not have surgery on his fractured left hand, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Smith fractured his left hand on Jan. 3, which raised doubts about his return to the basketball court for the Rockets this season. Although electing not to have surgery on his hand could extend his recovery timeline, he is not expected to miss much more time than the original estimate of 4-to-8 weeks.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Suffers broken hand
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The Rockets announced Friday that Smith broke his left hand in shootaround and will be re-evaluated in 4-to-6 weeks, Michael Shapiro of SI.com reports.
Smith had yet to miss a game this season but will now be sidelined for an extended period as his broken left hand is expected to require surgery. Before his injury, the 21-year-old forward was averaging 11.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 30.9 minutes across 33 appearances. In Smith's absence, Tari Eason (lower leg), Amen Thompson (suspended), Cam Whitmore, Jae'Sean Tate and Jeff Green are all candidates to receive increased playing time.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Efficient in limited minutes
Rotowire
Smith totaled 12 points (5-8 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-2 FT), two rebounds, two steals and one block in 23 minutes during Wednesday's 110-99 win over the Mavericks.
Smith was solid in limited playing time following a lackluster seven-point performance in Sunday's loss to the Heat. The third-year pro briefly exited to the locker room after he was hit in the face during the second quarter, though he was able to return for the start of the second half. The injury shouldn't affect his status for Friday's game against Boston. Over his last 10 outings, Smith has averaged 13.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 blocks across 33.6 minutes per contest.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Extends productive stretch
Rotowire
Smith had 21 points (7-14 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 5-6 FT), 11 rebounds and two assists over 35 minutes during Monday's 114-101 win over the Hornets.
Smith is going through his most productive stretch of the season and had another strong showing Monday, as he reached the 20-point mark just for the fourth time this season. The third-year forward is riding a streak of six games in a row with at least 13 points, hitting the 15-point mark four times and posting two double-doubles in that stretch. Smith is averaging 13.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game since the beginning of December.
