Rockets' Jabari Smith Jr. Relied Upon Early Season Lessons In Loss To Heat

Jabari Smith Jr. had one of his best performances in the Houston Rockets loss to the Heat Friday night, resulting from several early season lessons.

As great of a game Jabari Smith Jr. played, the rookie from Auburn University left FTX Arena wishing he did more.

"I felt like I played pretty good," Smith said. "But I felt I should have made more shots in the fourth quarter to seal the game. I felt like we should have won."

Smith had one of his most impactful performances of the season. In the Rockets' 97-95 loss to the Miami Heat Friday night, Smith scored a team-best 22 points (8-of-16 FG, 3-of-9 3PT), eight rebounds and a block.

His contributions set an early tone for the Rockets with 11 points during the first quarter on 4-of-5 shooting.

Smith came into the game averaging 10.6 points on 38.2 percent shooting since his last 20-point performance on Jan. 13. But Smith's play against the Heat was a testament to putting together the lessons learned over the past month.

Smith said despite what the statistics show, he is learning to produce on an NBA level. He is confident in his growth, which has allowed the game to slow down.

Coach Stephen Silas pointed toward Smith's offensive rebounds with 10.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter to illustrate his impact and growth.

"He did a good job," Silas said. "He made a few jump shots and two huge free throws. He also did a good job on the defensive end."

Smith secured an offensive rebound following Alperen Sengun's missed field goal attempt. Max Strus fouled Smith on his putback, which led to a pair of free throws to tie the game at 93. 

Smith said he told himself to block everything out, as he stepped to the line. Trust his work, and don't miss the two clutch free throws in his attempt to tie the game —demonstrating mental growth.

Smith described the loss to the Heat as painful, especially considering the game came 48 hours after a heartbreaking loss to the Sacramento Kings Wednesday night. 

Although upset, Smith views each game as a learning experience. And a gut-punching loss to the Heat was no different.

"It's all about the principles," Smith said. "We are a young team, and some of us had not been in that situation. All we could do is learn from it, so it doesn't have to get to a last-second shot. It's not about looking at the last play and saying, 'that's why we lost.' It's all about what got us to that point."

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You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24

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