Game Summary
The Cavaliers (30-20) eye their fourth-straight home win when they take on the Houston Rockets (37-13) on Saturday night for a primetime matchup. Tipoff from The Q is at 8:30 p.m. (ET).
Thanks to their 91-89 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday, the Wine & Gold still own the best home record in the NBA since November 7 at 17-2 (.895). The offense is putting up 113.1 points (.495 FG%), 25.7 assists and 12.0 three-pointers per contest over that 19-game home stretch.
Cavs Host Rockets
From where to catch all the action to Saturday's game notes, Cavs.com has you covered.
ABC
WTAM 1100, 100.7 WMMS, 87.7 FM La Mega
Joe G.'s guide to a victory.
Learn more about Saturday's matchup.
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With Wednesday's 'W,' Cleveland held the Heat to .434 (36-83) shooting from the field, including an opponent season-low tying .107 (3-28) mark from beyond the arc. The Cavs also forced Miami to commit 20 turnovers on the night, marking the third time this season they have forced that many miscues.
A big contributor to the club's most recent win was Channing Frye who stepped up in both of the Cavs past two matchups. Frye is averaging 18.0 points on .667 (12-18) shooting from the field, including .545 (6-11) from beyond the arc, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 21.0 minutes.
Isaiah Thomas has scored in double figures in each of the last eight games, averaging 17.0 points and 4.6 assists in 29.4 minutes since January 15. In Wednesday’s win over Miami, Thomas tallied 13 points and a team-high six assists in 30 minutes, while setting season-highs in rebounds (five) and steals (four).
Jae Crowder, who had 11 points (4-7 FG) and seven rebounds in 27 minutes on Wednesday, has scored in double figures in five of the last seven games. Since January 18 (seven games), Crowder is shooting .553 (26-47) from the field, .500 (11-22) from three-point range and .846 (11-13) from the foul line, while averaging 10.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 25.0 minutes.
As the Cavaliers look to keep the ball rolling at home, the Rockets enter Saturday's inter-conference battle winning 12 of their last 14 games including three straight.
At 37-13, Houston currently sits 2.5 games behind the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference standings. They also own the Southwest Division, sitting five games above the second-place San Antonio Spurs.
Their excellent position in the standings can be attributed to a number of star players, but it seems as if James Harden is a notch above the rest. "The Beard" is currently averaging 31.5 points per game, good for best in the NBA. In the Rockets' 114-107 win over the Magic on January 30, Harden tallied 60 points, which was just the 57th time in NBA history a player has reached that mark and first time a player recorded a 60-point triple-double.
Following the Rockets' victory over the Magic, Houston topped the Spurs, 102-91, on February 1 for the club's third-straight win. In the win, Harden led his club with 28 and 11 assists on 15-of-32 shooting.
Where to Catch the Action
TV: ABC
Radio: WTAM 1100, 100.7 WMMS, 87.7 La Mega
For live in-game updates, follow @cavs, @CavsJoeG, @CavsFredMcLeod, @MrCavalier34, @CavsJMike and @chones22 on Twitter.
Probable Starters/Status Update*
#3 - Isaiah Thomas
#5 - JR Smith
#23 - LeBron James
#99 - Jae Crowder
#13 - Tristan Thompson
G
G
F
F
C
#13 - James Harden
#3 - Chris Paul
#33 - Ryan Anderson
#12 - Luc Mbah a Moute
#15 - Clint Capela
Status Update: (Cavs) - Kevin Love, (Left hand fracture, Out)
Status Update: (Rockets) - Eric Gordon, (Lower back stiffness, questionable), Trevor Ariza, (Left hamstring strain, Out)
*Subject to change.
Head-to-Head Matchup
The Cavs and Rockets will play in their second and final contest of the 2017-18 regular season on Saturday night at The Q.
Houston came out victorious in their November 9th matchup edging the Cavaliers, 117-113, which saw LeBron James and Jeff Green tally 33 and 27 points, respectively.
The last time the Cavs and Rockets faced off at The Q, Cleveland won 128-120 on November 1, 2016. It was their first victory over the Rockets at home since March 11, 2012. In the final period, the Cavs shot 13-15 (.867) from the field, which was their highest field goal percentage in a quarter since December 15, 1999, when they went 15-17 (.882) in the fourth at New Jersey.
Overall, the Cavaliers have played exceptional against the Western Conference this season, especially at home. In fact, Cleveland is 6-2 against the Western Conference at The Q in 2017-18 and 38-8 versus the West in The Land since January 21, 2015.
Game Promotions
BLACK HERITAGE CELEBRATION
On Deck
Following Saturday's primetime showdown with the Rockets, the Cavaliers will head down to the Sunshine State to close out their regular season series with the Orlando Magic on Tuesday. The Cavs will then return home on Wednesday to battle the Minnesota Timberwolves before taking on the Atlanta Hawks (February 9), the Boston Celtics (February 11) and the Oklahoma City Thunder (February 13) all on the road before the 2018 All-Star break.