Cavaliers send Rockets to 12th consecutive loss

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.

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.

37-8-3-2 from The Bull! 😤

📺 #CavsRockets on @FOXSportsCLE pic.twitter.com/Mbmw6iCnl1

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 2, 2021

.@CollinSexton02 led the @cavs with 39 points, but in his mind, this was a total team victory in which they played through each other, all together, and as one.#BeTheFight | @Angel_Gray1 pic.twitter.com/lZDmNkAwSD

— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) March 2, 2021

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.

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.

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.

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.