Jeff Edgerton, Rotowire
LAS VEGAS — The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Houston Rockets, 92-87, in a Las Vegas Summer League second-round playoff game at Thomas and Mack Center on Saturday.
The Cavaliers dominated most of the first half, but the second half was a different story as both teams battled it out with eight lead changes before the Bulls finally pulled away late in the fourth quarter. Cleveland was bolstered by shooting 41.8 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. They also out-rebounded the rockets, 45-39.
Collin Sexton finished with another superlative game, as he continues to prove that he was worthy of selection as Cleveland’s first pick in the NBA Draft. The Alabama product posted a team-high of 17 points, and added six rebounds and two assists. A surprise standout from the bench was Scoochie Smith, as the University of Dayton grad posted 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals in only 18 minutes. Smith was on the 2017 roster for Cleveland’s G-League team, the Canton Charge.
Both Danuel House and De’Anthony Melton have been exemplary for the Rockets in Las Vegas, and they capped the session with two more excellent performances. House scored a team-high 30 points, drilling five threes along with tallying six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Melton fell in right behind him with 29 points and 10 rebounds, giving Melton his second double-double of the summer.
Cleveland will now move on to face the winner of the Raptors-Hornets game in the quarterfinals. The Rockets finished off Summer League play with an overall record of 4-1.