Even without LeBron James in the lineup, this one hurt.
As the regular season winds down, the Wine and Gold continue to seek some momentum heading into the playoffs. Blowing a 20-point second-half lead is not the way to do so.
But that’s what happened on Tuesday night, as the Rockets outscored the Cavaliers, 35-16, in the final period to take the 106-100 decision at The Q – splitting the season series and wrapping up the Western Conference portion of the season schedule.
Coach Tyronn Lue has stuck to his guns in terms of resting his starters down the stretch and on Tuesday it was the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week’s turn for a night off. But even with James in street clothes, the Cavaliers came out swinging – taking a 19-point edge into intermission and starting the final period with a 13-point lead.
But the fourth quarter belonged to James Harden and Co., as the Rockets – deadlocked with Dallas for the West’s final playoff spot – proceeded to shoot 63 percent in the fourth quarter while the Wine and Gold went just 5-for-19 in the period, including 2-of-10 from long-distance.
Kyrie Irving scored nine of his game-high 31 points in the fourth quarter, but Harden – the league’s second-leading scorer – was even better in the clutch, netting 18 of his 27 points in the final 12 minutes, going 5-for-7 from the floor and 4-of-6 from the stripe.
After sitting out Saturday’s victory in New York, Irving had noticeably fresh legs on Tuesday – topping the 30-point plateau for the seventh time this season – going 9-of-23 from the floor, including 5-of-11 from beyond the arc, adding a team-high eight assists.
Kevin Love notched his 32nd double-double of the year and fourth straight – finishing with 13 points and a team-high 11 boards in the loss. Like every Cleveland starter except Kyrie, however, Love went scoreless in the fourth quarter.
Tristan Thompson – making his 362nd straight appearance to break Jim Chones’ franchise record for consecutive games – also doubled-up with 16 points and 10 boards off the bench.
Iman Shumpert, getting the start with LeBron taking the night off, scored all 11 of his points after halftime. James Jones, on the other hand, notched all 10 of his points before intermission – rounding out the Cavaliers in double-figures.
On Tuesday night, the Rockets took 14 more trips to the free throw line, outrebounded the Wine and Gold by 17 – 55-38 – doubled their production in the paint, 52-26, and on the fastbreak, 22-9.
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