LeBron James Misses Crucial Free Throws In OT In Cleveland Cavaliers’ 105-103 Loss To James Harden, Houston Rockets

LeBron James was on fire for much of the evening but missed two key free throws late in overtime as the Cleveland Cavaliers suffered a close 105-103 defeat to rival James Harden and the Houston Rockets.

Both considered top Most Valuable Player candidates for this season, James and Harden led their teams in scoring with 37 and 33 points, respectively, but it’s the latter who got the last laugh on this evening as the Rockets notched their fifth straight victory.

Harden also added 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots for an excellent all-around game same as James who also finished with 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocked shots. The game was testy in key stretches too; with Harden getting called for a technical foul after kicking James’ near the crotch area and point guard Patrick Beverley and the Cavaliers superstar getting into a mini-scuffle in the second half. Both James and Beverley were called for a technical foul after the play.

James' big stats were spoiled by a couple of missed free throws late in the game. Fouled with four seconds to go in OT and trailing by just a single point, 104-103, James missed both FTs and Houston escaped with the win.

Beverley, who finished with a dozen points, hit a key three-pointer with around two minutes to go in the extra period and Houston held on to the lead and the victory. The starting front court for the Rockets had big nights as well, Donatas Motiejunas had 16 points with two 3-pointers and Terrence Jones contributed 19 points and 7 rebounds.

For the Cavaliers, which were still playing without star point guard Kyrie Irving because of a shoulder injury, Kevin Love ended up with 21 points and 6 rebounds while J.R. Smith had 8 points, 10 rebounds and 4 steals. The Cavaliers have now lost back-to-back games after losing to the Indiana Pacers, 93-86 last Friday.

Cleveland returns home on Tuesday to take on the Boston Celtics before battling the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks on the road. Houston will try to stretch their win-streak when they face the Hawks on the road on Tuesday and will go home to take on the Memphis Grizzlies and Detroit Pistons on Wednesday and Friday, respectively.

To contact author of this article, email j.quizon@IBTimes.com.au.