Views From the Game: The Houston Rockets Defeat the Cavaliers 117-100

The Houston Rockets entered their matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers off a dominant win over the Los Angeles Lakers. The Rockets capped off their most extended road trip of the season with a 119-94 win on Christmas night. The Rockets finished 2-4 on the road trip and hoped to finish the month strong after a disappointing month with only four wins in 11 games.

The Cavaliers came into Saturday game with only a 17-15 record after blowing a double-digit lead to the New York Knicks on Christmas morning. The Cavaliers were expected to compete for a championship this season but so far they have been one of the more disappointing teams this season.

Pregame:

Before the game the head coach Ime Udoka gave an update on Alperen Sengun who came into the game questionable with left calf tighness. That meant the Rockets were starting Steven Adams at center as they would try to win the game without their All Star center.

Udoka also mentioned that Dorrian Finney-Smith who made his season debut against the Lakers would only play the one of the two back-to-back games for the foreseeable future as they continue to ease the forward back into the lineup after missing the first 27 games.

Houston Rockets vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers

The Rockets wanted to get off to a fast start against the Cavaliers, and the Rockets did just that jumping out to a 26-16 lead with four minutes left in the first quarter. With Sengun out Durant knew that he had to be the offensive hub and he came out on fire scoring 12 of the Rockets first 26 points.

Durant was making shots from all over the court as he started the game 4-5 from the field. Durant finished the quarter with 14 points as the Rockets led 32-24 at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter started with the Cavaliers making a run after the Rockets turned the ball over a few times, and the Cavaliers cut the lead to three points early in the quarter.

The Rockets however was able to push the lead back to double digits as Reed Sheppard came off the bench to make a couple of 3-pointers and Durant picked up right where he left of fin the first quarter as the Rockets took a 60-46 lead into halftime.

The second half the Rockets really put the pedal to medal as they pushed the lead to 23 points and it seemed the Cavaliers will to win the game was slowly slipping away. Sheppard had four steals in the first half and added another block in the third quarter as the Rockets led by 27 points at the end of the third quarter.

The Rockets cruised to another dominant win as they defeated the Cavaliers 117-100 in a game that wasn't even that close. After the game Ime Udoka, Kevin Durant and Reed Sheppard spoke to the media.

Postgame

Udoka spoke about the Rockets not panicking during the rough stretch of games a week ago and also about how Sheppard has always had reasonable anticipation when going for steals and blocks. Rockets on SI also asked Sheppard about this, and how he weighs going for a steal while not wanting to put his team in a bad position.

Reed Sheppard had four steals in the first half in tonights win I asked Reed how he balances going for steals with out getting out of position.

“In highschool I kind of did it every play and could get away with it. It's definitely picking and choosing when the best time to do it… pic.twitter.com/RUkZBFFopZ
— Lachard Binkley (@BinkleyHoops) December 28, 2025

Durant finished with 30 points in only three quarter as the Cavaliers had no answer for the future Hall of Famer. Rockets on SI asked Durant about teams trying to play him physical and how he still finds a way to get to his spot on the court.

Teams have tried to be aggressive with KD, especially at the free-throw line. I asked KD if he uses that to his advantage to get to his spot on the court, and he gave a great answer on how he sees the court.

“I feel like I see people in the boxes and elbows when I got the ball… pic.twitter.com/w7QaqHqZU5
— Lachard Binkley (@BinkleyHoops) December 28, 2025

The Rockets have now had two dominant performances in a row over two playoff teams from last season. They will look to keep the momentum going as they host the Indiana Pacers Monday night.