Smart finished with 20 points (7-13 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 2-3 FT), five rebounds, four assists and a block across 24 minutes in Sunday's 132-115 preseason loss to the Mavericks.
Smart delivered a strong offensive performance and led all Houston players in scoring -- and it's worth noting each starter played over 20 minutes, so the Rockets are ramping up the workload for their rotation members. Smart is likely to open the season as a bench option but should handle sizable minutes because of his elite defense, three-point shooting and energy off the bench. This was an encouraging performance, but don't expect Smart to hover around the 20-point mark consistently once the regular season begins Oct. 21 in a rematch against Dallas.