Cavaliers send Rockets to 12th consecutive loss | Inquirer Sports

Cavaliers send Rockets to 12th consecutive loss

/ 01:19 PM March 02, 2021

Collin Sexton Cavaliers NBA

FILE – Collin Sexton #2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives around Jae’Sean Tate #8 of the Houston Rockets during the second quarter at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 24, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. Jason Miller/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Jason Miller / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Collin Sexton scored 39 points, handed out eight assists and sparked a critical fourth-quarter run to lead the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers to a 101-90 win over the Houston Rockets on Monday.

The Rockets took their 12th consecutive defeat, their longest losing streak since a 15-game skid in 2001-02.

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Sexton was the ignition for a 13-0 spurt in the final period, with the surge following a Ben McLemore 3-pointer that gave the Rockets a 78-77 lead.

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Cedi Osman sank a 3-pointer, then Sexton scored a layup, drilled a 3-pointer and assisted on a JaVale McGee dunk before feeding Osman for a trey that capped the rally. The run yielded the largest lead for the Cavaliers, who extended their winning streak to four games, two of them against Houston.

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After Houston’s John Wall, who at that point had just two second-half points following a 23-point first half, helped the Rockets rally with three consecutive baskets, Sexton buried a 12-footer that pushed the lead to 97-89.

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Wall, who played in both games of a back-to-back for the first time this season, finished with a season-high 32 points Monday. Victor Oladipo added 20 points for Houston, which lost Danuel House Jr. to a knee contusion and opened the second half with just three players available on the bench.

Cleveland’s Darius Garland added 14 points while Jarrett Allen had his eighth consecutive double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds. Osman (11 points) and McGee (10) contributed off the Cleveland bench.

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Cleveland seized an 11-point lead in the first quarter, only for Wall to guide the Rockets back with 17 of their 29 points in the period. Wall made 5 of 8 shots plus 6 of 8 free throws to keep Houston afloat, but five Rockets turnovers helped offset the team’s 9-for-16 shooting.

Houston continued its push in the second quarter, claiming the lead in the final minutes after converting back-to-back Cleveland turnovers into transition baskets. Wall notched a steal and an assist on a Jae’Sean Tate dunk before Oladipo converted his steal into a layup for a 48-47 lead.

Sexton responded late with a pair of free throws and a driving layup that gave the Cavaliers a 51-50 lead at the break. Wall and Oladipo combined for 36 first-half points on 13-of-26 shooting. Sexton scored 21 points before intermission.

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TAGS: Cleveland Cavaliers, Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Houston Rockets, John Wall, NBA

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