Rockets 109-108 Cavaliers (Jan 22, 2025) Game Summary

HOUSTON — – Alper Sengun made two free throws with 4.5 seconds left and Darius Garland missed two of three free throws afterward to allow the Houston Rockets to hold on for a 109-108 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.

Fred VanVleet had 26 points as Houston rallied late after squandering a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter.

A flagrant foul by Tari Eason on a 3-point attempt by Garland gave him three free throws with 2.1 seconds left. But he missed the first two before making the third to cut the lead to one point. The Cavaliers had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but Donovan Mitchell’s 3-point attempt was blocked.

Mitchell missed a shot with less than 10 seconds left. Sengun grabbed the rebound and was fouled by Jarrett Allen to set up the winning free throws.

Houston led by 13 with about 11 minutes left before the Cavaliers used a 19-0 run to take a 104-98 lead with about four minutes left.

VanVleet ended a Houston scoring drought of more than seven minutes with a 3 after that and tied it at 104-104 with another 3-pointer on the next possession.

Garland led the NBA-leading Cavaliers with 26 points. They lost away from home for just the fifth time this season.

Takeaways

Cavaliers: Cleveland missed rebounding Evan Mobley, who averages 8.8 rebounds a game and missed his third straight game with a calf injury. The Cavs were outrebounded 53-45.

Rockets: Must avoid scoring drought like they had Wednesday night if they expect to keep winning games against good teams.

Key moment

Garland missed the first two of his three free throws, which would have put Cleveland on top.

Key state

The Cavaliers missed six free throws, including the two by Garland late.

Next

The Cavaliers visit the 76ers on Friday night before hosting the Rockets on Saturday night in Houston’s next game.

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AP NBA: