Livescore
Darius Garland is a 90% free throw shooter.
That did not matter Wednesday night. The Cleveland point guard had a chance to give his Cavaliers the lead at the free throw line with 2.1 seconds remaining against the Houston Rockets. But he missed back-to-back free throws to ensure a 109-108 Rockets win.
With Garland’s misses, the Rockets survived a Cleveland rally from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit and a flagrant foul on a 3-point attempt that put Garland on the line with a chance to win it in the final seconds.
Rockets collapse, get lucky
The Rockets entered the fourth quarter with a 94-83 lead at home. The Cavaliers rallied for a 104-98 lead before the Rockets retook a 109-107 lead with 4.1 seconds remaining. The Cavaliers called timeout and set up an inbounds play for a Garland 3-pointer on the other end of the court.
It worked to perfection. Garland got open for a 3 from the wing, and Tari Eason fouled him during his shooting motion.
Officials reviewed the play and upgraded the foul to a flagrant 1. Eason landed under Garland’s feet and didn’t give him space to safely land.
It added up to three free throws and possession for the Cavs as they trailed by two points with 2.8 seconds remaining. In Garland, the Cavs were sending their best free-throw shooter to the line. It was disaster for the Rockets. Or so it seemed.
When he got to the line, Garland didn’t deliver. He missed his first of three free throws, but still had a chance to tie the game with his next two.
Then he missed the second.
He delivered on the third, but that simply cut Houston’s lead to 109-108.
The Cavaliers still had a chance for the win because of the flagrant foul. They retained possession and set up an inbounds play for a Donovan Mitchell game-winning attempt from the corner. But Amen Thompson got a hand in Mitchell’s face, and his shot was well off target.
The Rockets held on for one of the least likely wins of the season against the Eastern Conference’s best team.
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