HOUSTON -- — Alperen Sengun made two free throws with 4.5 seconds left and Darius Garland missed two of three free throws after that to allow the Houston Rockets to hold on for a 109-108 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.

Fred VanVleet had 26 points as Houston rallied late after squandering a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter.

A flagrant foul by Tari Eason on a 3-point attempt by Garland gave him three free throws with 2.1 seconds left. But he missed the first two before making the third to cut the lead to a point. The Cavaliers had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but Donovan Mitchell’s 3-point attempt was off.

Mitchell missed a shot with less than 10 seconds to go. Sengun grabbed the rebound and was fouled by Jarrett Allen to set up the winning free throws.

Houston led by 13 with about 11 minutes left before the Cavaliers used an 19-0 run to take a 104-98 lead with about four minutes to go.

VanVleet ended a Houston scoring drought of more than seven minutes with a 3 after that and tied it at 104-104 with another 3-pointer on the next possession.

Garland led the the NBA-leading Cavaliers with 26 points. They they lost on the road for just the fifth time this season.

Takeaways

Cavaliers: Cleveland missed the rebounding of Evan Mobley, who averages 8.8 rebounds a game and missed his third straight game with a calf injury. The Cavs were outrebounded 53-45.

Rockets: Must avoid scoring droughts like they had Wednesday night if they expect to keep winning games against good teams.

Key moment

Garland missing the first two of his three free throws that would have put Cleveland on top.

Key stat

The Cavaliers missed six free throws, including the two by Garland late.

Up next

The Cavaliers visit the 76ers on Friday night before hosting the Rockets on Saturday night in Houston’s next game.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Play By Play

Recent plays and game events

TIME	PLAY
12:00	Jarrett Allen vs. Alperen Sengun (Jalen Green gains possession)	0	0
11:34	Jalen Green makes 18-foot pullup jump shot (Alperen Sengun assists)	2	0
11:20	Donovan Mitchell makes 13-foot driving floating jump shot (Jarrett Allen assists)	2	2
10:55	Jalen Green misses 24-foot three point jumper	2	2
10:54	Rockets offensive team rebound	2	2
10:54	Dean Wade loose ball foul	2	2
10:40	Jalen Green misses 18-foot step back jumpshot	2	2
10:38	Jarrett Allen defensive rebound	2	2
10:25	Donovan Mitchell makes 24-foot three point jumper (Max Strus assists)	2	5
10:13	Alperen Sengun makes 11-foot two point shot (Fred VanVleet assists)	4	5
10:03	Donovan Mitchell misses 25-foot three point step back jumpshot	4	5
10:03	Dean Wade offensive rebound	4	5
9:58	Darius Garland makes 25-foot three point jumper (Dean Wade assists)	4	8
9:34	Fred VanVleet bad pass (Jarrett Allen steals)	4	8
9:28	Max Strus makes 26-foot three point shot (Darius Garland assists)	4	11
9:10	Jalen Green misses driving layup	4	11
9:07	Amen Thompson offensive rebound	4	11
9:07	Amen Thompson makes tip shot	6	11
8:58	Jalen Green shooting foul	6	11
8:58	Donovan Mitchell makes free throw 1 of 2	6	12
8:58	Donovan Mitchell makes free throw 2 of 2	6	13
8:38	Amen Thompson makes dunk (Alperen Sengun assists)	8	13
8:26	Donovan Mitchell misses 25-foot three point pullup jump shot	8	13
8:26	Alperen Sengun defensive rebound	8	13
8:19	Amen Thompson makes two point shot	10	13
8:18	Cavaliers Full timeout	10	13
8:07	Darius Garland makes 12-foot two point shot (Max Strus assists)	10	15
7:46	Alperen Sengun misses 2-foot two point shot	10	15
7:42	Alperen Sengun offensive rebound	10	15
7:42	Alperen Sengun makes tip shot	12	15
7:35	Dean Wade makes 2-foot two point shot (Darius Garland assists)	12	17
7:21	Fred VanVleet bad pass (Jarrett Allen steals)	12	17
7:20	Fred VanVleet shooting foul	12	17
7:20	Jarrett Allen makes free throw 1 of 2	12	18
7:20	Jarrett Allen makes free throw 2 of 2	12	19
7:09	Jalen Green misses 26-foot three point pullup jump shot	12	19
7:08	Dean Wade defensive rebound	12	19
6:59	Dean Wade misses 25-foot three point jumper	12	19
6:58	Jalen Green defensive rebound	12	19
6:50	Jalen Green bad pass (Dean Wade steals)	12	19
6:44	Donovan Mitchell misses two point shot	12	19
6:42	Alperen Sengun defensive rebound	12	19
6:38	Jalen Green misses layup	12	19
6:35	Amen Thompson offensive rebound	12	19
6:35	Jarrett Allen blocks Amen Thompson's tip shot	12	19
6:33	Jarrett Allen defensive rebound	12	19
6:16	Max Strus makes 2-foot two point shot (Jarrett Allen assists)	12	21
5:55	Donovan Mitchell shooting foul	12	21
5:55	Dillon Brooks makes free throw 1 of 2	13	21
5:55	Dillon Brooks makes free throw 2 of 2	14	21
5:55	Tari Eason enters the game for Amen Thompson	14	21
5:55	Cam Whitmore enters the game for Jalen Green	14	21
5:55	Georges Niang enters the game for Dean Wade	14	21
5:55	Ty Jerome enters the game for Donovan Mitchell	14	21
5:38	Darius Garland makes 2-foot two point shot	12	23
5:27	Fred VanVleet makes 25-foot three pointer	17	23
5:08	Jarrett Allen traveling	17	23
4:49	Alperen Sengun misses 10-foot two point shot	17	23
4:48	Ty Jerome defensive rebound	17	23
4:40	Max Strus misses 26-foot three point shot	17	23
4:37	Fred VanVleet defensive rebound	17	23
4:32	Tari Eason bad pass (Ty Jerome steals)	17	23
4:20	Georges Niang misses 23-foot three point jumper	17	23
4:14	Ty Jerome offensive rebound	17	23
4:09	Max Strus misses 16-foot pullup jump shot	17	23
4:09	Alperen Sengun defensive rebound	17	23
4:03	Tari Eason makes 24-foot three point shot (Fred VanVleet assists)	20	23
4:03	Cavaliers Full timeout	20	23
4:03	Steven Adams enters the game for Alperen Sengun	20	23
4:03	Sam Merrill enters the game for Max Strus	20	23
4:03	Tristan Thompson enters the game for Darius Garland	20	23
4:03	Donovan Mitchell enters the game for Jarrett Allen	20	23
3:47	Ty Jerome makes driving layup	20	25
3:29	Cam Whitmore makes driving layup (Steven Adams assists)	22	25
3:14	Donovan Mitchell makes 13-foot driving floating jump shot	22	27
3:00	Tari Eason misses 23-foot three point jumper	22	27
2:58	Tari Eason offensive rebound	22	27
2:56	Fred VanVleet makes 24-foot three point jumper (Tari Eason assists)	25	27
2:38	Donovan Mitchell misses 27-foot three point pullup jump shot	25	27
2:36	Cam Whitmore defensive rebound	25	27
2:27	Fred VanVleet misses 27-foot three point jumper	25	27
2:25	Sam Merrill defensive rebound	25	27
2:12	Ty Jerome lost ball turnover (Tari Eason steals)	25	27
2:09	Cam Whitmore makes 1-foot dunk (Tari Eason assists)	27	27
1:46	Steven Adams blocks Sam Merrill 's 1-foot driving layup	27	27
1:44	Tari Eason defensive rebound	27	27
1:42	Cam Whitmore misses 25-foot three point shot	27	27
1:40	Steven Adams offensive rebound	27	27
1:40	Tristan Thompson shooting foul	27	27
1:40	Steven Adams makes free throw 1 of 2	28	27
1:40	Amen Thompson enters the game for Fred VanVleet	28	27
1:40	Jalen Green enters the game for Dillon Brooks	28	27
1:40	Steven Adams misses free throw 2 of 2	28	27
1:40	Steven Adams offensive rebound	28	27
1:35	Steven Adams makes two point shot	30	27
1:24	Donovan Mitchell makes driving layup	30	29
1:00	Tari Eason makes 26-foot three point jumper (Jalen Green assists)	33	29
47.0	Georges Niang makes 23-foot three point jumper (Sam Merrill assists)	33	32
33.1	Cam Whitmore misses driving layup	33	32
30.1	Amen Thompson offensive rebound	33	32
30.1	Amen Thompson misses tip shot	33	32
29.2	Amen Thompson offensive rebound	33	32
28.1	Cam Whitmore makes 24-foot three point jumper (Amen Thompson assists)	36	32
14.0	Ty Jerome steps out of bounds turnover	36	32
14.0	Fred VanVleet enters the game for Amen Thompson	36	32
14.0	Dean Wade enters the game for Donovan Mitchell	36	32
2.1	Cam Whitmore makes 23-foot three point jumper (Fred VanVleet assists)	39	32
0.0	Ty Jerome misses 46-foot three point pullup jump shot	39	32
0.0	Cavaliers offensive team rebound	39	32
0.0	End of the 1st Quarter	39	32

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Game Information

Time, Location & Referees

Venue

Toyota Center (Houston)

Houston, TX

Date & Time

1:00 AM, January 23, 2025

Coverage

NBA League Pass, Space City Home Network, FanDuel SN OH

Attendance

16,719

Referees

James Williams, Nick Buchert, Brandon Adair

2025-26 Central Standings

TEAM	W	L	PCT	STRK
Detroit	44	14	.759	W2
Cleveland	37	24	.607	L2
Milwaukee	26	32	.448	L1
Chicago	24	36	.400	L11
Indiana	15	45	.250	L5

2025-26 Southwest Standings

TEAM	W	L	PCT	STRK
San Antonio	43	16	.729	W11
Houston	37	22	.627	L1
Memphis	22	36	.379	W1
Dallas	21	38	.356	L2
New Orleans	19	42	.311	W4

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Sengun makes late free throws and Garland misses 2 as Rockets outlast Cavs, 109-108

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