With 2.8 seconds left of their game against the Houston Rockets, the Cleveland Cavaliers seemed fated to complete a furious fourth-quarter rally Wednesday at Toyota Center.
With the Cavaliers down two points, Darius Garland, their potential All-Star guard and 90 percent free-throw shooter, sat alone at the free-throw line with three chances to give Cleveland the lead. Even if he failed, Cleveland would have the ball with a chance to seal the game.
Instead, Garland only hit one, and the Cavaliers’ last-ditch attempt to overtake the Rockets ended with a wild missed shot and their seventh loss of this otherwise dream season. Houston held on for a 109-108 win after coughing up a double-digit lead to begin the fourth quarter.
The Cavaliers are now 13-2 versus teams in the West, with the other loss coming against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
When asked on the broadcast to describe what happened at the end of the game, Houston guard Fred VanVleet said: “I don’t know yet. I don’t know. It’s still been a blur.”
“How not to close a game for both teams,” he later said.
The Rockets get the stop and escape with the win over Cleveland! pic.twitter.com/3yXypQ2y2P
— NBA (@NBA) January 23, 2025
The Cavaliers received this potential gift of good fortune after Garland was fouled by Houston’s Tari Eason on a 3-point attempt. After an official review, the foul was upgraded to a Flagrant One because Eason stuck his foot in Garland’s landing zone. The rule, which was put in place only a few years ago to protect shooters from potentially turning their ankle on their defenders, gave Garland three shots and allowed Cleveland to retain possession.
The last 66 seconds of the game featured multiple stoppages, reviews and turnovers. Houston center Alperen Şengün tied the game at 107 with 1:06 remaining, then shoved Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen after the play. Officials reviewed the sequence for a hostile act before concluding that the contact was incidental. On the ensuing possession, Cleveland committed a turnover and Houston’s Amen Thompson appeared to be fouled on a breakaway layup attempt, but that call was overturned into a simple out of bounds.
Cleveland had a chance to run the clock nearly all the way down to take the last shot, but Donovan Mitchell missed a 3 and Allen fouled Şengün on the rebound with 4.5 seconds left. Şengün made both free throws to give Houston the lead before Garland was fouled on his 3-point attempt.
The two teams meet again Saturday in Cleveland.
This story will be updated.
(Photo: Logan Riely / NBAE via Getty Images)
