Rockets Evade Defeat with Wild 109-108 Win Over Cavaliers
Victory Collapse. The Ackerman Effect. Run It Back.
It’s not often a 90% free throw shooter misses two straight shots at the charity stripe. Thankfully for Houston, Darius Garland clunked two in a row at the line with seconds remaining in the game. And Donovan Mitchell missed a potential game-winner at the buzzer as the Rockets survived a thrilling 109-108 victory over the Cavaliers on Wednesday night. But this matchup didn’t need to be this close. The Rockets were in control of this game for the majority of the contest. Houston led by as many as 13 points, 98-85, with around eleven minutes left on the clock. And then Cleveland switched to a zone defense, which mightily confused the Rockets, leaving them stunned, puzzled, and out of sorts. This allowed the to Cavs use a 19-0 run to storm back to take a six point lead, 104-98, with roughly four minutes to go. Fred VanVleet hit consecutive threes to tie the game for Houston at 104-104. Alperen Sengun scored the Rockets’ final four points, as they held on (thanks to missed free throws) for a close win over the Cavaliers.
Houston basically collapsed into a victory on Wednesday night. With only 15 fourth quarter points, the Rockets had no business winning this game after falling apart, but with a little luck, the squad was able to eek out the victory. Houston does have the league’s best free throw defense (the opposition’s free throw percentage), thanks in large part to play-by-play announcer Craig Ackerman. The Hello Kitty superfan has a keen sense to call these misses before they happen. Anyone who watches Houston’s broadcasts knows that The Ackerman Effect is real. Besides his love for hockey and EDM, Ackerman has a knack at chiming in with the right words when opponents are at the charity stripe. And Ackerman, the man the entire city of Houston wants to see ride a bull, has still managed to avoid competing with some of the world’s rankest bovine athletes.
VanVleet led the Rockets scoring charge with 26 points. Sengun amassed another double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 boards. And Amen Thompson had another ridiculous stat line, registering 16 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. Cam Whitmore also continues to show improvement in efficiency with his contributions off the bench, as he chipped in 16 points. Tari Eason scored 12 points, but committed the flagrant foul that sent Garland to the free throw line and almost lost Houston the game. In a performance resembling the weather in H-Town, Jalen Green cooled off, as he scored only 10 points. However, Green’s defense continues to improve, as he had a few key defensive stops on Garland and Mitchell late in this matchup. Garland scored 26 points to lead the Cavs, and Mitchell added 19 points for the bad guys. Expect Cleveland’s duo to improve their performances in the next game.
On Saturday night, these same two teams will run it back for a rematch in Cleveland. It will be the next game for the Rockets, who will have two days off after tonight’s win. For the Cavs, however, they’ll play in Philadelphia on Friday night before returning home for the rematch. It’s extremely hard to beat the same team twice in a row in the NBA, especially the league’s best team. But that’s the challenge awaiting Houston next on the schedule. It’s doesn’t happen often, but if they come ready to play… the Rockets have a decent chance to beat the Cavs again on Saturday night.