NBA: Smith, Smart and eighteen threes power Houston past depleted Thunder

The Thunder were playing their first game since Friday's announcement that Chet Holmgren will be out for at least two months with a right knee injury. Already without Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace, Oklahoma City suffered a second straight defeat after opening the season with four wins, despite 26 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Houston, for their part, were without Fred VanVleet, rested because of his right knee, Reed Sheppard, who has a back problem, and Steven Adams. Alperen Şengün, back after missing two games with lower back pain, came close to a triple-double.

The 18–4 run in the second quarter

The Rockets took control in the first quarter, 35–26, on the shooting of Smart, three threes, and Kevin Durant, 10 points in the period. Oklahoma City hung on to 37–30 early in the second quarter, then collapsed. Isaiah Crawford from three, Smart from nine metres, Crawford near the rim, Smith twice from mid-range, Şengün twice including a dunk set up by Smart, and a tip-in from Amen Thompson: 18–4, 55–34 at 6:10.

The Thunder limited the damage before the break with a 17–7 run, Gilgeous-Alexander scoring ten points in the stretch and Bennett Stirtz a three-pointer, 62–51 at half-time.

An 8–0 run after the break, and never within twelve points again

The restart killed off any suspense. Şengün near the rim, Smart on a running three-pointer, Smith from deep: 8–0 and 70–51 at 10:04. Oklahoma City never got back within twelve points after that. Kenrich Williams hit two threes, Jaylin Williams a dunk, but Smith answered every time from deep, three threes in the third quarter, the last at 5:10 to make it 81–64.

Tari Eason, with a dunk and then from three, and Thompson stretched the lead to 92–75 at the end of the period. In the final quarter, Smith's three at 8:41, 103–81, and Smart's at 7:46, 108–84, shut the door. Aday Mara, the Thunder's Spanish centre, blocked four shots, but the gap never fell below 20 points in the last five minutes.

Players of the match

Smith made 10 of his 18 shots, 6 of 12 from deep, 4 of 5 from the line, for 30 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists in 33 minutes, with a plus-minus of +33. Smart scored 24 points on 7 of 10, all his baskets coming from behind the arc, with 5 rebounds. Şengün finished with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists, Durant with 14 points, 6 of 6 from the line and 3 blocks. Eason and Crawford added 8 points each, on 2 of 6 and 2 of 5 from deep. Clint Capela, the Swiss player of Congolese and Angolan descent, grabbed 4 rebounds in 10 minutes, and Congolese Oscar Tshiebwe scored 2 points late in the game.

For Oklahoma City, Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 26 points, 10 of 20, 3 of 6 from deep, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in 31 minutes. Kenrich Williams and Stirtz scored 11 points each, going 3 of 6 from three. Isaiah Hartenstein pulled down 7 rebounds to go with 10 points, Jared McCain shot 5 of 14, 0 of 5 from deep. Mara tallied 7 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks in 28 minutes.

Three takeaways

Houston won from long range. 18 threes on 41 attempts, against 10 of 32 for the Thunder. Smith and Smart hit 13 between them. With Durant as a relay and Şengün as creator, the Rockets found 29 assists on 41 baskets.

The Thunder no longer have a second creator. Without Holmgren, Williams or Wallace, Gilgeous-Alexander took 20 shots, and nobody else scored more than 11 points. Oklahoma City shot 44%, a respectable figure, but never found a run to get back in after the 18–4 they conceded.

The Rockets win without their starting point guard. With VanVleet out, and Sheppard too, it was Şengün who ran the offence from the centre spot, 9 assists, and Smart who took the shots. A 6–1 record with two point guards missing is the mark of a complete squad.

The SNA view

Be wary of this scoreline. The Thunder who turned up in Houston are not the side that dominated the league, and they won't be until January. What this game shows is rather how healthy Houston are: four quarters won, outside shooting rediscovered after Friday's defeat at Dallas, and a Smith who, at 23, is taking on the role of second scorer the franchise expected of him. The question mark remains Durant, 9 shots in 27 minutes, who plays the right way but without weighing on the game. For Oklahoma City, the schedule is cruel: Cleveland on Monday, without three starters. The season will hinge on Mark Daigneault's ability to keep the record around the break-even mark until the injured players return.

What's next

Houston, 6–1, host Boston on the night of Monday to Tuesday, at 2:30 Brazzaville time. Oklahoma City, 4–2, travel to Cleveland the same night, at 1:00.