Donovan Mitchell has 37 points, Cavaliers beat Rockets 135-130 for their 11th straight overtime win

By BRIAN DULIK

CLEVELAND (AP) Donovan Mitchell scored 37 points, Sam Merrill had a career-high 19 off the bench and the Cleveland Cavaliers earned their 11th consecutive overtime victory by beating the Houston Rockets 135-100 on Monday night.

Merrill had five points and Max Strus added four in the extra period, when Cleveland outscored Houston 13-8 to match the second-longest OT winning streak in NBA history. New Orleans owns the record with 13 victories in a row from 2006-08.

Rockets center Alperin Sengun made one free throw with 36.8 seconds left in regulation to tie it. Caris LeVert missed a 3-pointer on the Cavaliers’ subsequent possession and Sengun’s fadeaway at the buzzer rimmed out.

Fred VanVleet had season highs of 27 points and 17 assists, along with eight rebounds, and Sengun had 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists. The Rockets are 2-10 on the road and 11-1 at home.

The Cavaliers have won both of their games since announcing that starting power forward Evan Mobley and former All-Star point guard Darius Garland will likely be out until February.

Mobley was scheduled for arthroscopic left knee surgery Monday, while Garland will undergo a procedure to repair his broken jaw that occurred in a collision with Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis last week.

Strus had 17 points, and LeVert had 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists. The Cavaliers are 2-0 on a four-game homestand.

There were 22 fouls called and 27 free throws attempted in the third, when Cleveland scored a season-high 42 points and carried a 99-98 advantage into the fourth.

VanVleet had eight points and 10 assists in the first half, which featured 13 lead changes and six ties, and ended with Houston up 59-57.

UP NEXT

Rockets: Host Atlanta on Wednesday night.

Cavaliers: Host Utah on Wednesday night.

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