Jabari Smith Jr. beats the Rockets past the Trail Blazers with a wild buzzer beater to open the Summer League

Jabari Smith Jr. lost 29 of his 33 points in Friday night’s second half to help the Rockets win their Summer League opener. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Jabari Smith Jr. attempts to steal NBA Summer League opening night from Victor Wembanyama

As the French phenomenon waited in the tunnel for his debut, Smith hit a wild 3-point buzzer bat from the top of the key to the Houston Rockets at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas with just 0.6 seconds remaining.

Smith snuck past the Portland defenders and caught the pass from behind the midfield line before sinking the quick shot perfectly, drawing huge cheers from a rarely sold-out crowd.

JABARI SMITH JR. WITH THE WILD TRIPLE FOR THE ROCKETS WIN!

What a way to open #NBA2KSummerLeague! pic.twitter.com/qYhOWcLbvN

— NBA (@NBA) July 8, 2023

Smith finished the win with 33 points and seven rebounds. He shot 8 of 18 from the field and scored 29 of his 33 points in the second half. Tari Eason added 20 points and nine rebounds to the Rockets. Amen Thompson, whom the Rockets picked up No. 4 overall last month, finished his Summer League debut with 16 points but was eliminated in the second half after twisting his ankle.

Shaedon Sharpe led Portland with 21 points and eight rebounds. Scoot Henderson, who the Trail Blazers picked up No. 2 overall last month, had 15 points, six assists and five rebounds in his 21 minutes on Friday. He retired early due to a shoulder injury and did not return.

The Rockets picked Smith from Auburn as the No. 3 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Last season as a rookie for Houston, he averaged 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds, missing the playoffs for the third straight season.