HOUSTON Rockets pulled off a 109-108 escape over Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season on Wednesday night (Thursday morning in the Philippines) at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
With the score tied at 107-all, Alperen Sengun drained two free throws with 4.5 seconds left to give the Rockets a 109-107 lead, but his teammate Tari Eason committed a flagrant foul on Cavaliers’ Darius Garland.
Garland, however, failed to capitalize as he only converted one of his three free throw attempts before his teammate Donovan Mitchell missed on a three-point try at the buzzer.
Fred VanVleet led the way for the Rockets with 26 points, including seven three-point conversions, while Sengun added a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds as they improved to a 29-14 win-loss slate.
Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore contributed 16 markers apiece, while Tari Eason and Filipino-American guard Jalen Green ended with 12 and 10 points, respectively, for the Rockets.
Garland led the Cavaliers with 26 points, Mitchell added 19 markers, while Ty Jerome and Jarrett Allen contributed 18 and 17 points, respectively, as they dropped to a 36-7 record.
Meanwhile, DeAaron Fox converted crucial free throws in the endgame as Sacramento Kings pulled off a come-from-behind 123-117 victory over Golden State Warriors at the Golden 1 Arena in Sacramento, California.
Down 109-113 with over four minutes left, the Kings went on a 10-0 scoring run behind a basket by DeMar DeRozan, two free throws by Malik Monk, four free throws and a basket by Fox for a 119-113 lead.
The Warriors still managed to cut the deficit to 115-119 on a basket by Stephen Curry, but the Kings responded with a layup from Monk and two free throws from Fox for a 123-115 score.
Fox finished the game with 14 points, five rebound, and five assists for the Kings, which hiked their record to 23-20 with the win. The Warriors dropped to a 21-22 win-loss record./PN
BOX SCORE:
HOUSTON 109 — VanVleet 26, Sengun 18, Thompson 16, Whitmore 16, Eason 12, Ja. Green 10, Brooks 4, Tate 4, Adams 3.
CLEVELAND 108 — Garland 26, Mitchell 19, Jerome 18, Allen 17, Wade 8, Niang 8, Merrill 7, Strus 5, Thompson 0, Tyson 0.
Quarterscores: 39-32, 61-53, 94-83, 109-108.
