標籤: Jabari

The Los Angeles Lakers have an NBA playoff berth to chase at the end of the season. Perennial wonder LeBron James ignited postseason expectations in a big way on Monday. This all happened after the Houston Rockets put up a poster of Jabari Smith Jr.

Smith attempted to time his jump and execute a block near the rim. Except James blew this jam early in the first quarter.

41-year-old LeBron James played Jabari Smith Jr. 🤯pic.twitter.com/5hu3t1Ovaf

– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 17 March 2026

Los Angeles took a 13-11 lead during that transition sequence. Then there was a back-and-forth with other aspiring Western Conference playoff contenders.

LA went ahead 41–38 after a James Poster dunk about seven minutes into the second quarter. But Kevin Durant was able to make two free throws with less than four minutes remaining to give Houston a 46–45 lead.

How LeBron James, Lakers performed in the first half

Monday’s matchup inside Toyota Center offered a potential playoff preview.

Los Angeles is the third-best team in the West behind the San Antonio Spurs (49-18) and the Oklahoma City Thunder (53-15). But the Lakers entered the week of St. Patrick’s Day and March Madness on a five-game winning streak.

Houston and Durant, meanwhile, are the fourth-place team in the Western Conference, trailing the Lakers. The Rockets enter with an overall record of 41-25 and defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 107-105 on Friday.

However, despite the strong dunks, James was limited in scoring. He scored only four points in 13 minutes. The four-time NBA champion dished out two assists and grabbed one rebound.

Luka Doncic handled the scoring load for the Lakers and scored 23 points in the first half with less than 2:40 remaining in the second half. Houston took a 57–51 lead at halftime.

Draymond Green is often viewed as one of the dirtiest players in the NBA, and his actions came to light again recently during the Golden State Warriors’ 115-113 win over the Houston Rockets. During the third quarter, Green caught Jabari Smith Jr.’s ankle during a dead-ball sequence, resulting in a technical foul.

The incident occurred with 9:49 minutes remaining in the third quarter when Smith was called for an offensive foul on a moving screen that sent Green to the floor. Now, the Warriors veteran has addressed the incident, claiming it was Smith Jr.’s trash talk that prompted him to commit the foul.

“So Jabari fouled, he just stood there going, ‘Oh yeah, get more physical. Yeah, I pushed him down.’ Well being who I am, I don’t think anyone should let that happen, but I’m definitely not letting that happen. At that moment I can only do what I did. I think one thing that people don’t understand about this game is that you can’t give people an edge in the NBA. You give somebody the lead and lose, and I wasn’t going to give him the lead and we won,” Green told the Draymond Green Show.

Although Green did not reveal what the Rockets player said, the Warriors veteran could be seen pulling his ankle while walking back to the court.

“In a situation where Jabari was struggling strongly, you would not be able to find your edge in that game, and I would not be the guy that you would foul, and I would fall down and you would stand over me and walk over me and talk,” he concluded.

Smith had missed the past two games with a right ankle sprain and entered the matchup listed as questionable before ultimately being cleared following pregame warmups. Since the incident, many have called for the NBA to impose harsher punishment, especially given Green’s problematic history.

However, the player himself appeared to have no regrets and played his part in a surprise win with 10 points, eight assists and five rebounds on the night.

The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets face off for only the second of three matches in this 2025-26 regular season. Golden State entered this contest without Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Kristaps Porzingis, Moses Moody, Seth Curry, Will Richard or Gary Payton II.

However, the Warriors maintained an 11-point lead throughout the first half. Houston mounted a comeback in the third quarter, starting with a strange play by Draymond Green and Jabari Smith Jr.

With 9:49 left in the third quarter, Smith Jr. was whistled for an offensive foul for a moving screen, which knocked Green to the floor. As he got to his feet to return to the offensive end of the field, the Warriors forward made a surprising decision pull right leg Ahead of the Rockets.

Jabari Smith Jr.’s right ankle that Draymond Green grabbed was actually the same ankle that caused Smith Jr. to miss just two games before Thursday night’s game. Smith Jr. was questionable coming into the contest due to a sprained right ankle, but was cleared to play after warm-ups.

After missing two games with an ankle injury, Drummond makes a dirty play and tries to throw a Rockets player by the ankle#dubnation pic.twitter.com/JlLzG18Aqf

– Bay Area Super Fans (@Baysuperfans) 6 March 2026

Thursday night’s match is important for both the teams. A win for the Rockets would give them a season series victory while moving them one step closer to clinching the third seed in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Warriors are fighting to hold on to the eighth seed, but only have a one-game lead over the LA Clippers for that spot.

Jabari Smith Jr. is averaging 15.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 34.8 minutes per night. In 50 appearances for the Warriors this season, Draymond Green is averaging 8.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 26.7 minutes per night.

Jabari Walker had a career-high performance during the Philadelphia 76ers’ 106–102 victory over the struggling Utah Jazz. The 23-year-old bounced back with a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds, helping the 76ers stage a fourth-quarter comeback against now 18-44 Utah.

However, while the game proved to be huge for Walker, an unfortunate incident occurred before that as the 2022 draftee scratched a brand new car earlier.

“I actually had an unfortunate incident happen today. I just got a new car and I was driving it for like 30 minutes and I scratched it. And talk about being in the zone and you know, I just wanted to come to the game and it was an unfortunate incident for me. Mentally I was walking here like, ‘My brand new car that I just got, I scratched it,'” he revealed, according to a post by PHLY Sixers on X.

Jabari Walker says he bought a brand new car today… and scratched it within the first 30 minutes of buying it.

“When I saw the first two 3s go in, I said ‘Okay. OK. This is a whole new world. I got a chance to redeem myself.’ I forgot what happened earlier today… pic.twitter.com/1aIwjftkyz

– PHLY Sixers (@PHLY_Sixers) 5 March 2026

However, Walker starred for his team in the absence of several key stars, including Joel Embiid, VJ Edgecombe, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Paul George, who is still suspended.

“When I saw the first two 3s go in, I was like, ‘Okay. Okay. This is a whole new world. I got a chance to redeem myself’ so I forgot about what happened earlier today,” he said.
Walker’s night started explosively. During his first stint, he scored 15 points on all five of his shot attempts, including four three-pointers.

While he undoubtedly proved vital, it was once again Tyrese Maxey who led the way with 25 points on 8-of-22 shooting. Quentin Grimes also played a key role, especially late in the fourth quarter.

He finished with 16 points and knocked down two go-ahead free throws with less than 17 seconds remaining on the clock. However, this game will be extremely memorable for Walker for several reasons.

Not only did he return with a career-best score, but he did so on a day that didn’t start off on the best of terms.

The Houston Rockets defeated the Orlando Magic in a hard-fought game, 113-108, at the Kia Center on Thursday. However, the victory may have been costly, as Jabari Smith Jr. left the game in the final minutes with an ankle injury.

Smith finished with 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting in 29 minutes.

In a video posted on X, the 22-year-old forward remained on the floor for a few seconds before getting up and limping on the bench.

It didn’t look good as Jabari Smith Jr. fell to the ground and they immediately grabbed his right ankle. #rockets #sarge @TheRocketsWire pic.twitter.com/lc5oOCtLRO

– Big Sarge Media LLC (@BigSargeSportz) 27 February 2026

Although it was a good sign that Smith was able to walk on his own, it was still likely that he suffered a serious injury.

The Rockets cannot afford to lose him long-term, as he has been a vital part of the machine. Smith, who is on a contract year, has proven to be a reliable two-way player with his length, agility and athleticism. Despite his flexible physique, Smith is not afraid to get physical. He has also improved his outside shooting.

His frontcourt trio with Kevin Durant and Alpern Sengun is one of the most lethal in the NBA, with Smith serving as the ideal complement to his All-Star teammates.

With the win, the Rockets improved to 37–21. Durant led the way with 40 points and eight rebounds in the game. Sengun added 16 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Reed Shepard also performed with 20 points, including five three-pointers, three rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks off the bench.

The Rockets won their third consecutive game and will look to follow it up on Saturday against the Miami Heat.