Rockets survive late Cavs rally as 90% shooter Darius Garland misses 2 free throws with chance to win

Darius Garland is a 90% free throw shooter.

It didn’t matter on Wednesday night. The Cleveland point guard had a chance to give his Cavaliers the lead at the free throw line with 2.1 seconds left against the Houston Rockets. But he missed back-to-back free throws to secure a 109-108 Rockets victory.

With Garland’s misses, the Rockets survived a Cleveland rally from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter and a flagrant foul on a 3-point attempt that put Garland on the line with a chance to win it in the final seconds.

Rockets collapse, be lucky

The Rockets entered the fourth quarter with a 94-83 lead at home. The Cavaliers rallied to a 104-98 lead before the Rockets retook a 109-107 lead with 4.1 seconds left. The Cavaliers called timeout and set up an inbound play for a Garland 3-pointer at the other end of the court.

It worked to perfection. Garland opened up for a 3 from the wing and Tari Eason fouled him during his shooting motion.

Officials reviewed the play and upgraded the violation to a flagrant 1. Eason landed under Garland’s feet, giving him no room to land safely.

It turned into three free throws and possession for the Cavs as they trailed by two points with 2.8 seconds left. In Garland, the Cavs sent their best free throw shooter to the line. It was a disaster for the Rockets. Or so it seemed.

When he got to the line, Garland didn’t deliver. He missed his first of three free throws but still had a chance to tie the game with his next two.

Then he missed the second one.

He delivered on the third, but it simply cut Houston’s lead to 109-108.

The Cavaliers still had a chance to win because of the obvious foul. They kept possession and set up an inbounds play for a Donovan Mitchell try-winning corner. But Amen Thompson got a hand in Mitchell’s face and his shot was wide of the mark.

The Rockets held on for one of the least likely wins of the season against the Eastern Conference’s best team.