JARRETT Allen recorded his 32nd double-double of the season and helped Cleveland stave off the visiting Houston Rockets 108-91 on Sunday (Monday in Manila), a victory that clinched the Cavaliers’ first postseason berth since falling in the 2018 NBA finals.
Allen finished with 24 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks. Evan Mobley also recorded three blocks while posting 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Cavaliers. Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points and Darius Garland paired 17 points with eight assists.
Jalen Green led Houston with 30 points, his 14th game of at least 30 this season. Alperen Sengun added 14 points, Kenyon Martin Jr. 13, and Jabari Smith Jr. 12 for the Rockets, who dropped their fifth consecutive game.
After the Rockets sliced a 20-point deficit to five through three quarters, Allen elevated the Cavaliers with his two-way play. Allen followed his block of Tari Eason’s dunk attempt with two free throws that pushed the lead to 89-82 with 9:20 left. He tallied two more free throws and a dunk at the 8:06 mark that extended the lead back to double digits at 93-82. The Cavaliers were not seriously threatened from there.
In other games, it was the Wolves 99, Warriors 96; Hornets 110, Mavs 104; Bulls 118, Lakers 108; Grizzlies 123, Hawks 119; Celtics 137, Spurs 93; Magic 119, Nets 106; Raptors 114, Wizards 104; and Thunder 118, Blazers 112.
Wolves 99, Warriors 96
Kyle Anderson intercepted a Draymond Green pass and Karl-Anthony Towns turned it into a go-ahead 3-pointer with 11.1 seconds remaining, delivering Minnesota a key victory over Golden State in San Francisco.
Naz Reid had a team-high 23 points off the bench and Rudy Gobert chipped in with 10 points and 18 rebounds for the Timberwolves. Jordan Poole had 27 points for the Warriors, but he failed to connect with Stephen Curry on a pass that bounced out of bounds with 4.4 seconds remaining when Golden State had a chance to tie or take the lead.
The Warriors, who were seeking a 10th straight home win, got one more opportunity to tie after Jaden McDaniels missed 1 of 2 free throws with 2.4 seconds left, leaving Minnesota with a 99-96 lead. But Curry couldn’t hit a desperation 3-pointer, completing his 4-for-13 night from deep.
