Cavaliers vs. Rockets: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2017 Regular Season

The Cleveland Cavaliers went into halftime seemingly on the precipice of steamrolling the Rockets in Houston. James Harden had other ideas.

Harden posted a 38-point triple-double as one of six Rockets in double figures, as Houston came from behind for a 117-112 win over Cleveland on Sunday.

Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle highlighted Houston's success against the NBA's cream of the crop:

The Cavaliers led by 14 points at one point in the third, but Houston closed the quarter on a 21-5 run that turned the tide. Harden scored 11 points in the quarter, and Ryan Anderson added eight, while Cleveland's red-hot shooting went cold.

Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle noted the MVP chants from the crowd for Harden:

Harden finished with 38 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. It's his first triple-double since Feb. 15 and his 16th of the season, putting him second behind Russell Westbrook for the NBA lead. Anderson finished with 16 points and six rebounds, knocking down four three-pointers.

Houston finished the game with 16 threes, as both teams pushed the boundaries from beyond the arc. The Cavs and Rockets combined to shoot 88, as both continued their record-setting pace.

Cleveland shot 52.5 percent from the floor and knocked down 17 three-pointers, blitzing a porous Rockets defense with crisp passing. The Cavs posted 24 team assists, led by eight from Kyrie Irving, who also added 28 points and a surprising two blocks.

LeBron James added 30 points, seven rebounds and five assists. The two Cavaliers All-Stars combined to take more than half of Cleveland's field-goal attempts, with James continuing his recent trend of efficient play. James has hit at least half of his shots in 15 of his last 17 games and has hit multiple threes in all but one game during the month of March.

His play has been so brilliant of late that the MVP buzz is percolating:

But the real story was Richard Jefferson, who was the catalyst for a 41-point second quarter that gave Cleveland a nine-point halftime lead. Twelve of his 16 points came in the second, as he knocked down all four of his three-point attempts on his way to making all six of his shots.

Twitter was understandably overwhelmed with joy at the 36-year-old's surprise breakout:

If Jefferson would have made his run with the Cavs at full strength, they likely would have raced to an impressive win. Instead, Jefferson's scoring output merely replaced value they likely would have received from Kevin Love.

JR Smith and Deron Williams both had off nights shooting, and Iman Shumpert couldn't buy an open bucket. Smith has been borderline unplayable in two of his three games since returning from injury, missing defensive assignments and struggling to knock down jumpers. It's fair to say he's getting back into a rhythm, but Smith was shooting 33.3 percent for the season coming into Sunday.

That said, he did do this:

Williams had a solid all-around game with eight points, five rebounds and five assists. But he made just two of his six shots. Shumpert went 2-of-9 from the floor, including missing all but one of his six three-point attempts.

Despite shooting a worse percentage and knocking down fewer threes, the Rockets stayed in the game by dominating the offensive boards. Houston out-rebounded Cleveland, 20-4, on the offensive end to the tune of 15 second-chance points. No Cavalier grabbed more than eight boards, and Tristan Thompson was the only player to bring down an offensive rebound.

Eric Gordon scored 13 points, and Nene added 12 points and six rebounds off the bench. 

The Rockets will have two days off before they host the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. Cleveland, which has lost four of its last five games, will host the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday.

Postgame Reaction

While this was only a regular-season game, both sides recognized the importance.

"It was a big win for us," Harden said, per Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle. "It's time to prepare ourselves for (the) postseason."

"For us this is a big win, in the sense of, you know, the champions," head coach Mike D'Antoni also noted, per Smith. "We haven't had one in a while. We beat Golden State, we beat San Antonio. But that was earlier. And we haven't had one, so this is good."

Meanwhile, Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue believes the Rockets proved themselves as a contender.

"They're a tough team to play, tough team to match up with, and you have one of the top guys as far as MVP candidates, James Harden, playing at a high level," Lue said after the game, per Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. "Their shooters are playing at a high level. So, they're playing great, and that's all a credit to Coach D'Antoni."

With other teams in the Western Conference dealing with key injuries, the Rockets are certainly a team to watch out for going forward.