Rockets rally from 20 down in the second quarter to beat Cavaliers
James Harden scored 27 points (18 in the fourth quarter), and the Houston Rockets rallied from 20 points down in the second quarter to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-100.
The Rockets trailed 59-39 with 29 seconds left in the second quarter and 59-40 at halftime. They outscored the Cavaliers 67-41 the rest of the way.
Trevor Ariza’s corner 3-pointer with 17.3 seconds left made it 101-97, and Harden’s 2 free throws with 5.1 seconds left put it away at 106-100.
During clutch time, the Rockets outscored the Cavaliers 18-8. Harden (No. 2 in clutch points, 2015-16) scored 7 of the Rockets’ 18 on 1 for 2 shooting and 4 for 4 at the line.
Clint Capela had 9 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Harden scored 18 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter.
For the Cavaliers, Kyrie Irving had 31 points (7 during a 12-0 run in the second quarter) and 8 assists.
The Rockets shot 48.1% from the field and 36.0% from 3 to the Cavaliers’ 36.0% and 35.0%. The Cavaliers gave up 14 offensive rebounds, about 5 more than usual for the shots the Rockets missed. The Rockets outscored the Cavaliers 52-26 in the paint. The Rockets outscored the Cavaliers 37-18 in 12 minutes with Howard, Ariza, Beasley, Harden and Beverley on the floor together.