While the main event at the first night of Las Vegas Summer League is the Victor Wembanyama vs. Brandon Miller showdown on Friday night, the game immediately leading up to it ended up being pretty spectacular, too. The Portland Trail Blazers, led by No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson, and the Houston Rockets, which featured No. 4 overall pick Amen Thompson, went head-to-head in their own high-profile matchup.
Both players performed well before going out with injuries, and ultimately, the Rockets picked up a 100-99 win thanks to a game-winning buzzer-beater by last year’s No. 3 overall pick. Jabari Smith Jr. had himself quite the night, one that was capped off by catching and hoisting a three off of a pass by Tari Eason with 0.6 seconds left. The pass by Eason and the defense by the Blazers meant he got off a clean look which he knocked down.
JABARI SMITH JR. GAME WINNER
WOW. pic.twitter.com/atNBkHgNxR
— ESPN (@espn) July 8, 2023
Smith had a rough rookie campaign in Houston, but flashed the talent that made him such a highly-regarded prospect out of Auburn on Friday night. He scored 33 points on 8-for-18 shooting, and while he only knocked down three of his eight attempts from deep, he got to the free throw line 17 times and knocked down 14 of them. Smith also pitched in seven rebounds and a pair of assists.
Source: https://uproxx.com/dimemag/jabari-smith-rockets-blazers-buzzer-beating-three-summer-league-highlight-video/