Jabari Smith Jr. Shines In Rockets Heartbreaking Loss To Heat

The Houston Rockets sustained their second consecutive heartbreaking loss, this time to the Miami Heat.

The Houston Rockets took the court for the first time since April 2016 without Eric Gordon on the roster. And similar to the previous seven years, the Rockets added another number to their lost column in Gordon's absence. 

This time, the Rockets sustained a heartbreaking 97-95 loss to the Miami Heat Friday night.

Houston traded Gordon to the Los Angeles Clippers ahead of the NBA trade deadline Thursday afternoon.

Jalen Green connected on a layup attempt to tie the game at 95 with 0.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Houston had a chance to send the game into overtime, but miscommunication on the defensive end led to Jimmy Butler completing a game-winning alley-oop.

Butler finished the night with 16 points on 4-of-11 shooting.

Jabari Smith Jr. kept the Rockets competitive inside FTX Arena against the second-best defensive team in the league. He led the way with 22 points (8-of-16 FG, 3-of-9 3PT), eight rebounds and a block in the loss.  

Smith scored 14 points at the half, which led to the Rockets trailing 58-56 by halftime.

In addition to Smith's contributions, the Rockets fought hard on both ends. Josh Christopher, Tari Eason and TyTy Washington Jr. provided Houston with a major lift off the bench. 

Their scrappy efforts led to Houston leading 79-77 with 8 minutes and 55 seconds left in the fourth quarter following Eason's steal on Gabe Vincent. The Rockets were able to add to their lead with Christopher scoring a pair of baskets midway through the final period.

Washington gave Houston a five-point lead (89-84) with 3 minutes and 40 seconds left in the final period with a floater. He finished with six points, six rebounds and five assists off the bench.

The Rockets held a one-point lead late in the fourth quarter when Green committed a costly turnover. Tyler Herro connected on a triple in transition, which led to Miami taking a 93-91 lead with 17.8 seconds left in the final period.

Herro finished with a game-high 31 points on 11-of-22 shooting, 5-of-10 from behind the arc.

K.J. Martin had one of his most impactful games. He finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. Green, who finished with 41 points against the Sacramento Kings, struggled in Miami with 11 points on 5-of-19 shooting, 0-of-9 from behind the arc.

Jabari Smith Jr. shines:

Jabari Smith Jr. had one of his best performances as a rookie. He knocked down his first four shots en route to an 11-point first quarter. And by the end of the half, Smith led Houston in scoring with 14 points. 

Smith came into the night averaging 10.6 points on 38.2 percent shooting since his last 20-point performance on Jan. 13.

Rockets' season series comes to an end vs. the Heat:

With the loss, the Rockets closed their two-game regular-season series against the Heat. Miami won the series 2-0.

Up Next:

The Rockets have two games left before the All-Star break in Utah. They will continue their five-game road trip Monday against the Philadelphia 76ers. Their final game before the All-Star break is Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

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

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