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NBA · HOU

Jabari Smith Jr.

F · 6′11″ · Current team: Houston Rockets

Regular season · Feb 23, 2026 · UTA 105 @ HOU 125 · Final

Jabari Smith Jr. 31 points vs Jazz (Feb 23, 2026): season-best Game Score

ANSWER

31 PTS · 12-of-17 FG · 6-of-11 3P · 1-of-2 FT · 33:00 MIN

Usual before this game: 15.3 PTS · 12.4 FGA · 35.0 MIN, from 54 regular-season games

Best Game Score of 55 games this season: 26.5 against a usual 11.8 (+14.7)

SURPRISE SCORE
99Very rare
above usual

No more than 1 in 100 games by players at this level finish this far above their usual.

For a player who plays every game, a game this far above the usual comes less than once a season.

How the score works

Why did Jabari Smith Jr. score 31 points?

Jabari Smith Jr. scored 31 points against the Jazz on Feb 23, 2026 in 33:00: 12-of-17 from the field (70.6%), 6-of-11 from three (54.5%), 1-of-2 on free throws. Coming in, Smith had averaged 15.3 points on 12.4 shots in 35.0 minutes, from 54 regular-season games. This game had the best Game Score of 55 games this season. Smith took 17 shots, 4.6 more than usual. The 70.6% from the field compares with a usual 44.4%. From threes, 18 points against a usual 6.7; from two-pointers, 12 points against a usual 6.5; from free throws, 1 point against a usual 2.1. Smith played 33:00 against a usual 35.0 minutes; per 36 minutes the Game Score was 28.9, against a usual 12.1. At home against the Jazz, the Rockets won 125-105, a 20-point win. The box score records what changed, not why: it holds no injury, matchup or coaching information.

Generated from the box score and this season's game log. How the score works

01

What changed

Smith in this game against the usual line

This game against the usual line
StatThis gameUsual (54 games)Change
Minutes33:0035.0-2.0
Points3115.3+15.7
Shots (FGA) · FG%17 · 70.6%12.4 · 44.4%+4.6 · +26.2
3PA · 3P%11 · 54.5%6.1 · 36.4%+4.9 · +18.1
FTA · FT%1-of-22.7 · 77.2%-0.7
Rebounds97.0+2.0
Assists01.8-1.8
Turnovers41.3+2.7
UsageUsual: minutes-weighted average of per-game usage, 54 games27.317.9+9.4
Game Score per 36 minutes28.912.1+16.8
02

Points by shot type

Twos, threes and free throws: the changes add up to the points change

Points by shot type against the usual line
Shot typeThis gameUsual (54 games)Change
Threes18 (6-of-11)6.7 (2.2-of-6.1)+11.3
Twos12 (6-of-6)6.5 (3.3-of-6.3)+5.5
Free throws1 (1-of-2)2.1 (2.1-of-2.7)-1.1
Total3115.3+15.7
03

Game Score

One measure of the whole box score line

26.5 against a usual 11.8 (+14.7)

Its five parts
The change in Game Score, by part
PartChange
Scoring, net of shot attempts+14.9
Rebounds+0.4
Assists-1.3
Steals and blocks+3.6
Turnovers and fouls-2.9
Total+14.7
04

Season so far

Regular season, in date order

Game Score in each of this season's 55 games, oldest first, this game last: 10.4, 3.7, 11.3, 24.3, 11.6, 10.4, 5.1, 8.1, 12.7, 17.2, 7, 10.5, 12.4, 14.3, 12.1, 12.5, 6.8, 11.1, 11.2, 17.5, 12.2, 14.4, 2, 15.3, 12.5, 9.5, 16.9, 16.3, 16.1, 10, 4.3, 14.7, 0.3, 4.9, 3.7, 12.6, 9.5, 5.6, 24.2, 12.1, 7.8, 12.8, 9.6, 5.3, 16.4, 18.6, 14.6, 9.2, 16.5, 20.3, 12.7, 12.4, 16.3, 16.9, 26.5

Best Game Score of 55 games this season.

Previous best: 24.3, set on Oct 29, 2025.

05

Context

From the rows this page already reads

  • The Rockets won 125-105 at home against the Jazz, a 20-point win.
  • Previous appearance: Feb 21, 2026, 2 days earlier.
  • Earlier regular-season meetings with the Jazz this season: 15 points (Nov 30, 2025), 12 points (Dec 1, 2025).
06

What this page cannot tell you

The same on every performance page

Limits

Box scores record what happened, not why: no injuries or health, defensive assignments, matchups, coaching decisions or play-by-play.

METHOD

Game Score against the player's own usual line. How rare a gap is comes from NBA regular-season games of 2023-24 and 2024-25, checked on 2025-26.