Home Sports Cavaliers lose 3rd straight as Rockets’ Amen Thompson gets triple-double in 135-131 win

Cavaliers lose 3rd straight as Rockets’ Amen Thompson gets triple-double in 135-131 win

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Cavaliers lose 3rd straight as Rockets' Amen Thompson gets triple-double in 135-131 win

For the first time during what has been an incredible season, the Cleveland Cavaliers have lost three games in a row.

The third consecutive loss came Saturday night against the Houston Rockets. Amen Thompson collected a triple double with 23 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Rockets to a 135-131 victory at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

With three straight losses (and two in a row at home), the Cavs have fallen a half-game behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the NBA’s best record at 36-9. They also lead the Boston Celtics by 4 1/2 games for the top record in the Eastern Conference. Boston defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 122-107, on Saturday.

Interestingly, two of Cleveland’s losses during this streak have come to the Rockets, who have the third-best record in the league at 30-14. The Cavs lost to Houston on Wednesday, 109-108when Darius Garland missed two free throws in the final seconds that would have tied the game.

Garland tried to make up for that in Saturday’s rematch, scoring 39 points with nine assists. He shot 14 of 22 from the floor, including 4 of 7 on 3-pointers. Donovan Mitchell nearly matched him with 33 points and seven assists.

However, despite Cleveland’s backcourt combining for 72 points, the Cavaliers couldn’t match Houston by getting 20 or more points from four different players. Alperen şengün and Jalen Green scored 26 points, while Fred Vanvleet added 20. Vanvleet also connected on 6 of 9 three-pointers.

Perhaps the difference was in the frontcourt with şengün and Steven Adams combining for 40 points along with Thompson’s second triple-double. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen responded with 15 for the Cavs, but Tristan Thompson contributed zero points off the bench. Mobley played after missing four games with a straight calf.

Cleveland took an 18-17 lead in the first quarter, but Houston rallied to go up 33-27 and didn’t relinquish the lead the rest of the game. The Rockets led by 19 points early at the end of the third, but the Cavaliers tied the score at 104-104. However, Houston regained the lead on a şengün and maintained it for the rest of the game going 8 of 10 at the free throw line.

The Cavs will try to end their losing streak on Monday, hosting the Detroit Pistons. The Rockets continue a four-game road trip by visiting the Celtics, also on Monday.

(Tagstotranslate) Cleveland Cavaliers (T) Houston Rockets (T) Amen Thompson (T) Oklahoma City Thunder (T) Dallas Mavericks (T) Darius Garland (T) Eastern Conference (T) Boston Celtics (T) Tristan Thompson (T) The The Cavs (T) Evan Mobley (T) Donovan Mitchell (T) Jalen Green (T) Steven Adams (T) Fred Vanvleet (T) Jarrett Allen (T) Detroit Pistons

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