NBA scores 2015: LeBron James blows free throws as Cavaliers lose to Rockets

A bad day for “clutch” LeBron, the unbeatable Warriors and the rest of the action from Sunday in the NBA.

by Satchel Price

Mar 2, 2015, 2:00 PM UTC

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

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NBA schedule and results: James Harden, Rockets outlast LeBron James and the Cavs

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The duel between LeBron James and James Harden lived up to its billing Sunday, at least until the final seconds. That's when LeBron faltered at the free throw line with a chance to put the Cleveland Cavaliers ahead, instead missing both shots as the Houston Rockets earned a 105-103 win in overtime.

James had been fantastic throughout the game, finishing with 37 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks. He was the focal point of the Cavaliers' offense with Kyrie Irving out of the lineup, and regularly guarded Harden on the other end of the floor.

That greatness was undone by a horrid performance at the free throw line, where James finished just 3-of-11. His struggles throughout the game at the charity stripe culminated with a missed pair in overtime when the Cavaliers were trailing, 104-103, with 4.2 seconds left.

All LeBron needed to do was hit one of the free throws to at least force Houston into trying a game-winner, but he couldn’t shake the issues that had plagued him all day. Afterwards, the four-time MVP explained his misses in a way nobody really understands:

Way to trick it off today Bron!
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 2, 2015

The constant misses from the free throw line overshadowed what had been a strong performance from James, who was leaned on heavily with Irving out. LeBron created tons of opportunities for himself, and while his shot wasn’t always right -- he was 15-of-35 from the field and 4-of-12 from three in addition to the free throw struggles -- he still produced against a good Houston defense.

None of this should take away from an impressive victory by the Rockets, though. Harden nearly matched James in every facet of the game, finishing with 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks. He did much of his damage from the free throw line (15-of-18), and that goes a long way to explaining how the Rockets managed to steal this one without Dwight Howard.

Terrence Jones was also fantastic for Houston, recording 19 points and seven rebounds, while Donatas Motiejunas added 16. LeBron, who rarely gets fazed on the court, received multiple technical fouls as he got chippy with opposing players. Houston easily outshot Cleveland from the field (46 percent to 41 percent), but the Cavaliers had advantages on the boards (53-36) and in turnovers (19-15).

The win bumps Houston to 41-18, keeping it within 1.5 games of second-place Memphis. Cleveland drops to 37-24, a half-game behind Chicago for the third seed in the East.

3 other things we learned

DeAndre Jordan can really dominate the boards. Say what you want about his offense, but the Los Angeles Clippers' center is an absolute beast on the boards these days. The league leader in rebounds per game (14.2) and rebound rate among players with 40-plus games played (23.9 percent), Jordan is as good as any player in the league at corralling the ball around the basket. The 26-year-old grabbed 26 rebounds in the Clippers' 96-86 win over the Chicago Bulls -- a good rebounding team -- on Sunday, continuing a recent trend of monster performances. Nobody has come close to doing what Jordan has since Feb. 9:

Never count out the Golden State Warriors. Even with a team as good as Golden State, it was easy to figure that the Boston Celtics would get the victory Sunday night after extending a 56-30 lead in the second quarter. Turns out the Warriors were just showing us another way to win. Stephen Curry and company exploded for a 76-45 run over the final 28-plus minutes in Boston to earn a 106-101 victory, their latest incredible feat of the season. Curry was electric as usual, going off for 37 points on 14-of-22 shooting, and the defense finally found its footing after looking lost for the first 18 minutes of action. No lead is safe when it comes to the Warriors.

Mo Williams is thriving in Charlotte. The 32-year-old point guard turned heads earlier this season with an improbable 52-point outburst as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and now he's putting up big numbers since being traded to the Hornets. Williams recorded 23 points and 11 assists Sunday in Charlotte's 98-83 win over the Orlando Magic, and now has scored 20-plus points in four of his first five games since joining the team. With incumbent starter Kemba Walker nearing his return, Williams won't put up these numbers (including 18.2 shots per game) for long, but for now he's making good on the team's decision to add more depth.

Mo Williams	PPG	APG	RPG	FG%	MPG
With Timberwolves	12.2	6.4	2.4	40.3	28.0
With Hornets	23.4	7.0	3.2	46.1	35.4

Play of the Night

Sometimes it's easy to forget that even a lumbering center like Chris Kaman also happens to be a superhuman athlete. This stunning finish Sunday against the Sacramento Kings serves as a nice reminder.