For the first time during what has been a fantastic season, Cleveland Cavaliers Lost three games in a row.
The third straight defeat came on Saturday night versus the Houston Rockets. Amen Thompson She collected a triple-double with 23 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Rockets to Victory 135-131 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
With three straight losses (and two straight at home), the Cavs fell a half-game behind Oklahoma City Thunder to Best record in the NBA At 36-9. They also lead the Boston Celtics by 4 1/2 games for the highest record in the Eastern Conference. Boston defeated Dallas Mavericksand 122-107on saturday.
Interestingly, two of Cleveland’s losses during this series have come to the Rockets, who have the third-best record in the league at 30-14. The Cavs lost to Houston on Wednesday, 109-108when Darius Garland He missed two free throws in the closing seconds that would have tied the game.
Garland tried to make up for it in Saturday’s rematch, scoring 39 points with nine assists. He shot 14-of-22 from the floor, including 4-of-7 on 3-pointers. Donovan Mitchell Almost matched him with 33 points and seven assists.
However, even though Cleveland’s Backcourt combined for 72 points, the Cavaliers were unable to match Houston in getting 20 or more points from four different players. Alperen şengün and Jalen Green All scored 26 points, while Fred VanVleet He added 20. Vanvleet connected on 6 of 9 3-pointers, as well.
Maybe the difference was in the front with şengün and Steven Adams Combined 40 points along with Thompson’s second career hat-trick. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen Facing with 15 for the Cavs, however Tristan Thompson Contributed zero points off the bench. Mobley played after missing four games with a strained right calf.
Cleveland took an 18-17 lead in the first quarter, but Houston rallied to get within 33-27 and did not relinquish the lead through the rest of the game. The Rockets led by 17 points by the end of the third, but the Cavaliers tied the score in the fourth at 124-124. However, Houston regained the lead on a şengün free throw and held it for the rest of the game by going 8-for-10 at the free throw line.
The Cavs will try to end the losing streak on Monday, hosting Detroit Pistons. The Rockets continue a four-game road trip by visiting the Celtics, also on Monday.
