Cleveland Cavaliers beaten in overtime after costly misses by LeBron James
Last Updated: 02/03/15 8:36am
Cleveland Cavaliers were left to count the cost of two misses from LeBron James at the free-throw line after they slipped to a 105-103 defeat against Houston Rockets.
James finished 3-for-11 at the charity stripe, with his final failures coming with the Cavaliers (37-24) trailing by one and the Rockets escaped with a fifth consecutive victory in overtime.
The Cavaliers star still finished with a game-high 37 points, eight rebounds, three steals and three blocks during his lively personal duel with Rockets guard James Harden, which boiled over in the latter stages.
Harden finished with 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals, although his display was blemished by a personal foul for kicking James near the groin after an ugly tangle.
Elsewhere, the Golden State Warriors overcame a 26-point first-half deficit in a thrilling 106-101 win over the Boston Celtics.
Stephen Curry picked up 37 points for the Warriors, who out-scored Boston by 16 in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback.
Driving layups by forward Harrison Barnes and guard Andre Iguodala brought the visitors from a point down to a three-point lead with 26.2 seconds left.
Sunday's results
Golden State 106-101 Boston
LA Clippers 96-86 Chicago
Cleveland 103-105 Houston (OT)
Philadelphia 74-94 Indiana
Charlotte 98-93 Orlando
Portland 110-99 Sacramento
Oklahoma City 108-101 LA Lakers
New Orleans 99-92 Denver