November 1, 2026 at 5:23 AM UTC

Postgame Report

Rockets run past depleted Thunder, 119-98, in Houston

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With Chet Holmgren and a long list of others out, Oklahoma City had Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and little else as Houston pulled away behind Jabari Smith Jr.'s 30 points.

The Rockets beat a short-handed Oklahoma City team 119-98 at home on Saturday night, and the game turned on who wasn't on the Thunder's floor. Chet Holmgren sat with a right knee injury. Yahoo reported a patellar tendon tear and an absence of eight to ten weeks, while Sports Illustrated's injury report listed patellar tendinitis. Whichever diagnosis is right, the Thunder played without their All-Star big man.

Holmgren's absence was only part of it. Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace, two starters, went down in the Clippers game and are expected to miss most or all of the season. Alex Caruso, with a right ankle sprain, was out as well. Houston never faced the lineup Oklahoma City had planned for, and the 21-point margin reflected that.

Six Thunder players in all were unavailable, Thomas Sorber (right knee surgery) and Nikola Topic among them. Coach Mark Daigneault patched together a rotation of Kenrich Williams, Jared McCain, Isaiah Hartenstein and Ajay Mitchell around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, with Bennett Stirtz and Aday Mara getting real minutes. Mara had nine rebounds in 28 minutes. Jabari Smith Jr. led Houston with 30 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 33 minutes, and Marcus Smart played a game-high 36 minutes for 24 points. Alperen Sengun added 16 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, and Kevin Durant had 14 in 27 minutes. Anyone who spent the afternoon sorting through the channel and streaming guides from Yahoo and The Athletic would have found the Rockets in command by the end.

Gilgeous-Alexander did what he could, with 26 points in 31 minutes, and no other Thunder player scored more than 11. The workload may only grow. Oklahoma City was reported to have been ready to give its last roster spot to Ochai Agbaji, then backed away to reassess after the Holmgren news. For now the roster is thin, and the team's season leans on its MVP.

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