The Cleveland Cavaliers have been a winning machine lately, and it looked like they had put themselves in an improbable position to pick up another victory on Wednesday night. After the Houston Rockets had taken a 13-point fourth quarter lead at home and seemed poised to close the Cavaliers out,

Alperen Sengun made two free throws with 4.5 seconds left and Darius Garland missed two of three free throws after that to allow the Houston Rockets to hold on for a 109-108 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Rockets hit two free throws late while the Cavaliers missed two free throws seconds later, allowing Houston to hold off Cleveland .

The Cavs are rolling thanks in large part to Garland's play, but the East — and Cleveland's — backcourt is a crowded one.

Before the 2024-25 season started, Darius Garland thought about leaving the Cavaliers following their second-round exit from the playoffs.

With the Cavaliers down two points, Darius Garland, their potential All-Star guard and 90 percent free-throw shooter, sat alone at the free-throw line with three chances to give Cleveland the lead. Even if he failed,

Darius Garland has solidified his place in Cleveland Cavaliers history, achieving a remarkable milestone during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. With his performance, Garland surpassed John Bagley to claim the third spot on the Cavs' all-time assists leaderboard.