James Harden came up with his best full-game inspiration and contributed a triple-double that allowed the Houston Rockets to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-113.
Along with Harden, who contributed 35 points, including 13 of 14 shots of personnel, 11 rebounds and 13 assists, the Swiss center Clint Capela achieved 19 points, including the last five of the team, who were the ones who decided the final score when they were less two minutes to complete the regulation time.
Harden, who won the individual star duel against forward LeBron James, also recovered five balls and put a stopper that helped the Rockets (9-3) get the fourth consecutive victory and share the best mark of the Western Conference with the Golden State Warriors.
Although the Rockets were always ahead on the scoreboard, with an advantage that in the first half came to be up to 18 points, in the end the Cavaliers found the way to get into the game by going to the break two points up (65-67). ) after they finished the second quarter with a partial of 42 points. The biggest advantage of the Rockets in the second half was 13 goals (111-98) with 8:02 minutes remaining after a triple scored by forward P.J. Tucker But the Houston team started again to miss the shots and the Cavaliers took advantage of it to get a 13-1 run that put them back in the game. Until the figure of Capela, who took care of scoring a dunk to a ball that Harden put him and also forced the staff that scored to complete three-point play and partial 115-111 with just over a minute left.
After failing the Cavaliers in possession of the ball, the story was repeated with the Rockets who saw as Harden missed a penetration, but Capela scored again after capturing the rebound to get the partial 117-113 and with 10.7 seconds left, which It would be decisive. Capela, who finished with a double-double to capture 13 rebounds, put the finishing touch to his decisive individual work with a stopper to the last attempt of basket of James, which would be the fourth he got during the game. Eric Gordon became the second maximum encestador of the Rockets when contributing 20 so many, including 4 of 11 triples. Meanwhile, Harden scored 30 or more points in three of the last four games played by the Rockets, including last Sunday, against the Utah Jazz when he reached the 56, his best mark as a professional, and was one of tie the team (57) that is held by Calvin Murphy. The triple-double was the second Harden achieved so far this season and the number 33 as a professional.
James was again the top scorer of the Cavaliers with 33 points, but only 11 in the second half, also distributed seven assists and although he had no role under the hoops, he captured four balls that were defensive. Forward Jeff Green, who came off reserve, became the sixth player of the Cavaliers to contribute 27 points, while power forward Kevin Love came to 17 and the escort JRSmith scored another 13 that did not prevent the sixth defeat of the Cleveland team (5-7) in the last eight games they have played. The strategy of giving the ball to James to direct the game meant that Lue did not have to use Calderón and preferred to search with the guard Kyle Korver the points from outside the perimeter that could give him the victory, which in the end did not come.
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