OKLAHOMA CITY — About 30 minutes before Monday night’s tipoff, the Houston Rockets announced that Amen Thompson, Dillon Brooks, Tari Eason and Alperen Şengün would be inactive, citing various injuries. This was in addition to Fred VanVleet being ruled out earlier after he re-injured his right ankle.

The intrigue from a rather interesting matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder had dissipated — multiple starters missing in action ahead of a potential second-round playoff series — or so I thought.

“Every opportunity on the court matters,” coach Ime Udoka said following Houston’s 137-128 loss. “We look at everything as coaches as an opportunity for them and who can handle themselves in high-pressure situations against a good opponent.”

Even amid a two-game skid, there were important takeaways against the No. 1 team in the West that should serve the Rockets well in the short- and long-term. Let’s switch things up and open the notebook on what turned out to be a rather thrilling contest.

• Since Jabari Smith Jr.’s return in late February, his reintegration, at least on the offensive end, has been a mixed bag, to say the least. Of the six games he’s appeared in thus far, half were single-digit scoring outputs, and he has missed 19 of his 27 3s. Having recently fractured his left hand, Smith may need time to find a consistent rhythm. This is also considering some of the inconsistencies with his minutes and substitution patterns (Smith has started a few games depending on the availability of VanVleet and Eason.)

Despite this, the third-year big continues to showcase his two-way versatility, why the Rockets need him assimilated as quickly as possible and his intrinsic value to a postseason campaign a little over a month from now. Justifying his place in Houston’s starting lineup, especially given how Thompson, his replacement, unlocks a different level of much-needed dynamism for Udoka, is a difficult task. Still, Smith must play a major role for the Rockets moving forward. Houston doesn’t have the means of duplicating Smith’s skill set or his intangibles, and on two occasions during an 11-point, eight-rebound night against the Thunder, he accentuated it.

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The Rockets scored a decent 99 points per 100 half-court plays, a welcome sight after their season-long battle against set defenses. (It was a ways away from the Thunder’s 112 points per 100 half-court plays, but still a positive showing with a depleted roster.) Enwrapped in this is Houston’s 51.9-percent conversion rate on midrange shots, which puts it in the 79th percentile of all games this season. Again, a welcome sight.

In the above possession, Smith not only gains control of the ball but recognizes somewhat of a mismatch — Kenrich Williams attempting to defend in space. This is a broken play by most accounts, but it’s also an example of what the Rockets will run into during the playoffs. Their games aren’t exactly aesthetically pleasing and certainly won’t suddenly improve in more difficult situations, but Smith’s ability to face up, post Williams up from the free-throw line and launch a one-footed fadeaway jumper is valuable. Extremely.

Just two possessions later, Smith puts his rim protection on display, chasing down a ball that was originally intended for him and using his timing to meet Williams at the rim. Smith is step for step with Jaylen Williams the entire way, defends without fouling and erases a layup — all while keeping the ball in play.

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• Jalen Green finished with four assists on Monday, which doesn’t exactly jump off the page but is notable within the framework of his development and growth as a secondary/tertiary playmaker. Knowing that the Rockets would be without various scorers, the Thunder loaded up the pressure on Green all night, forcing him to make quick decisions with the ball. More often than not, the fourth-year guard made the right read, either dumping the ball to deputy center Jock Landale (who couldn’t take advantage of four-on-three situations) or finding an open shooter.

VanVleet’s absence naturally heaped more responsibility on Green’s shoulders, but it’s not the sole cause. Since Jan. 1, Green has assisted on 17.2 percent of his teammates’ shots, good for the 76th percentile per Cleaning the Glass. His usage rate (29.2) places him in the 99th percentile, but he’s not coughing up the ball a ton (54th percentile in turnover percentage) and is reacting to defenses, as opposed to making predetermined decisions. Last month, Green averaged 4.4 assists per game, tying his best output in any month of his career (with more than four games played).

“It’s a process that he improved on last year,” Udoka said. “But understanding — especially on a night where guys are missing — he’s going to be the focal point of a defense. Continue to work on it, improve in that area. It’s something we’ve really stressed to him and he’s gotten better at.”

• Don’t expect Houston to revert to a zone defense on a routine basis, especially when the team is fully healthy. But without the services of Thompson, Brooks or Eason, it made sense — at least in a vacuum — for Udoka to attempt to clog the middle of the floor with a 2-3 zone (Or 2-1-2, depending on how the “big” operates from free-throw line to the baseline.) In three meetings this season, Thunder guard (and potential MVP) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had finished with 29, 32 and 32 points.

According to Synergy tracking data, before Monday, Houston was 29th in zone possessions (just three of them all season long!). The Rockets now rank 24th, giving up .957 points per possession.

A single-game spike of this magnitude suggests the presence of an opponent as offensively elite as Gilgeous-Alexander but also reaffirms why teams shouldn’t just sit in one scheme for the duration of a game. The most effective way to unpack a 2-3 zone is ball movement around the perimeter, timely cuts (or drives) and most importantly, floor spacing. Oklahoma City is second in 3s made per game and assists per game following the All-Star break and has one of the most feared drivers in basketball in Gilgeous-Alexander. Outside of a few early moments in the first quarter, the Thunder took full advantage of the Rockets’ zone — with Gilgeous-Alexander finishing with a masterful 51 points and seven assists on 18-of-30 shooting and 5-of-9 from 3.

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“It was OK,” Udoka said of the zone. “I think our guards got overextended on top — we walked over some things today. Our bigs (also) got too high at times, which gave up some offensive rebounds and back cuts off the corners. Few things that we need to clean up with that, but I think it was good to see. Should be a tool for us going forward.”

• Positive, aggressive showings for both Cam Whitmore (27 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals, three blocks) and Reed Sheppard (25 points, five assists on 10-of-17 shooting) reaffirm Houston’s depth and offer emergency offensive weapons. Both have been on the outskirts of Houston’s rotation recently, with Whitmore and Sheppard combining for around 30 total minutes of game time since the break before Monday. But the playoffs are about finding an edge, an X-factor, and Whitmore — likely more so than Sheppard because of Udoka’s penchant for size — should be in the mix. Udoka made a concerted effort to approach the second-year wing before halftime to encourage him on a positive display. Whitmore’s power around the basket and his floor spacing (4 of 6 from deep) offer a unique changeup to the usual suspects in his rotation.

Sheppard, like Whitmore, has to deal with a crowded backcourt, but he showed the confidence in his shot that initially attracted Rockets decision-makers during the pre-draft process. And both are efficient shooters, which should pair well with a Houston team creeping on the top 10 in made 3s and 3-point percentage since the break.

“It felt great,” Sheppard said. “Just getting the chance to be out there and play. It was a lot of fun getting a rhythm and flow, up and down. Being able to knock down some shots and get some assists. Really fun game. We didn’t win and that part sucks, but being out there with the guys and battling was fun.”

“Regardless, I’m a competitor,” Whitmore added. “I just love the game of basketball, love to hoop. Every time I’m out there, it’s another opportunity to help the team win, help myself.”

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(Photo of Cam Whitmore and Chet Holmgren: Alonzo Adams / Imagn Images)