Sports
Rockets outlasts the Cavaliers 117-112
Cavaliers, Rockets, Lebron James, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Tyronne Lue, Deron Williams, Richard Jefferson, Eastern Conference, D'Antoni
In a duel of MVP contenders, James Harden recorded a triple-double of 38 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds to lead the Houston Rockets to a 117-112 win over Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night. James finished with 30 points, seven boards and five assists, but was also guilty of eight of the Cavs' 15 turnovers.
Kyrie Irving, who has now scored at least 20 in a career-best 15 consecutive games, scored 28 points. Richard Jefferson scored a season-high 16 points-all in the first half.
In a match-up consisting of the league's most prolific three point shooting teams, the Cavaliers just ran out of gas in the fourth quarter. The team committed many mistakes as a result including reach in fouls and blown assignments.
Find out what's happening in Mentorfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The most telling issue was the lack of rebounds, specifically defensive rebounds. Cleveland was crushed on the boards in this one, 52-38, with the Rockets producing 20 offensive boards.
The Cavaliers' lead for the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference has now shrunk to 2 games over the Washington Wizards and the Boston Celtics.
Find out what's happening in Mentorfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The Rockets had six players score in double figures, including Ryan Anderson, who registered 10 of his 16 points in the second half.
The Rockets clinched a spot in the Western Conference playoffs by beating the defending champion Cavaliers on Sunday night.
COMING UP FOR THE CAVS: The Cleveland Cavaliers host the surging Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night.