Rockets' Jabari Shows Father's Teachings in Loss to Hawks: Notebook

How did Jabari Smith Jr.'s father help lay the foundation to a career night against the Atlanta Hawks?

HOUSTON — Houston Rockets' Jabari Smith Jr. will always have extra motivation when going up against his hometown team, and his drive led to a career performance against the Atlanta Hawks despite a 134-127 loss.

Smith scored a career-best 34 points on 8 of 14 shooting, 4 of 7 from behind the arc. He also shot 14 of 14 from the foul line. However, for the second time in his career, Smith did not celebrate the milestone due to his team sustaining another loss. His first 30-point performance came during an overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers last season.

"Beating ourselves is kind of tough on me," Smith said. "There are stuff we can correct. We have to get back into the film room, practice, so we can start stringing some wins together."

Smith accounted for 13 of the Rockets' 35 points during the third quarter and played a vital role in helping Houston overcome a 20-point deficit — which led to a 100-98 lead over the Hawks entering the fourth period.

Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. dribbles the ball during the first quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Toyota Center / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

By the start of the fourth, Smith had missed just one of his first eight attempts. His hot shooting during the first three periods was a testament to the work and teachings of his father, Jabari Smith Sr., a former NBA player who played during the early-to-mid 2000s.

Smith Sr. began helping his son enhance his shooting mechanics with constructive criticism and film studies since Smith was a toddler in Fayetteville, GA.

"There's stuff that he sees," Smith said. "He's been watching me shoot since I was three or four years old. He knows what I need to correct. He knows what I need to change. He sends me videos of Klay [Thompson] and Stephen [Curry], showing me how they finish their shots and how precise they are with their mechanics."

His scoring against the Hawks was one of several lessons he learned while working with his dad. Smith Sr. also instilled lessons of defense and rebounding, as Smith added 13 boards and four blocks.

Smith believes his performance against the Hawks marked his most complete career game, and to maintain his father's teachings, finding consistency is the next most significant task.

"I felt like my energy was high — I came out with that fire," Smith said. "Now, I just want to bring that every night, and good games will keep coming if I play with that energy and effort."

Headlined by Alperen Şengün, Houston's defensive struggle continues:

The Rockets' loss to the Hawks was another sign of their defensive struggles over the previous three games. Atlanta jumped to a 20-point first-half lead (71-51) by shooting 50.0 percent from the floor. 

Houston picked up its defensive intensity during the third quarter. But the Rockets reverted to their struggles amid Atlanta's 9-0 run to open the fourth period.

"At halftime when they slipped out of everything, 90 percent of the time they slipped out of screens," coach Ime Udoka said. "They got three lobs in a row slipping out of screens. Whether it's big or small, this is something we worked on and talked about, and that's what hurt us at the start of the quarter."

Several factors played into the Rockets' defensive breakdowns, but Alperen Şengün had the most significant issue. Şengün's troubles guarding the pick-and-roll led to three alley-oop dunks for Onyeka Okongwu within the first three and a half minutes of the final period.

Udoka benched Şengün in the final six minutes of the quarter due to his defensive mishaps.

"Whether big or small, we want our bigs to be able to stay with the rollers," Udoka said. "Okongwu was able to take advantage of that a few times, and the same with [Clint] Capela. When they were not setting screens, you have to be able to adjust and defend those actions. That's what I saw, not the best pick-and-roll defense."

Rockets' Defense Plunges Amid Two-Game Losing Skid

Amen Thompson returns despite not feeling 100 percent:

Amen Thompson returned to the lineup after missing the previous four games due to an illness. Thompson wasn't 100 percent. However, after missing 19 of the last 20 games, he was frustrated by the missed time.

He played eight minutes amid his return and recorded two points and a pair of rebounds. Before his battle with flu-like symptoms, a Grade 2 ankle sprain sidelined the rookie guard for 15 consecutive games. 

"It got to the point I was not feeling the best, flu, sinuses, stuff going on," Thompson said. "But I’m feeling better, so that’s good...It’s difficult. I’m trying to play. But you got to get through some things."