Cavs beat Rockets 92-87, advance to summer league quarterfinals

With Ante Zizic back home in Croatia and Cedi Osman getting the night off, the Cavaliers still found a way to beat the Rockets on Saturday and advance to the summer league quarterfinals.

In a 92-87 win, Collin Sexton scored 17 points, while Scoochie Smith scored 17 — including several key buckets late in the second half — to lead the Cavs. Cleveland’s two-way players, Billy Preston and John Holland, scored 14 and five points, respectively.

Sexton did not have his best shooting game, as he finished just 5-17 from the field. But with the Cavs’ summer league roster lacking shooting, his drives to the rim often saw him met by multiple Rockets players. He also finished with more turnovers (five) than assists (three). Only two of his points came in the second half.

As for Smith, he took over the in the second half when the Cavs played him and Sexton at the same time. The Dayton product, who played with the Canton Charge in the G-League last year, had one of the game’s key buckets and an assist late in the fourth that set up Jamel Artis for a wide-open three-pointer that clinched the Cavs’ win. With the Cavs already employing Sexton, George Hill and Jordan Clarkson, a spot on the roster would seem unlikely for Smith. But at the very least, he’s auditioning well for other teams and should have a home with the Charge again this fall.

The Cavs will face the winner of the Raptors-Hornets game from Saturday on Sunday at 3 p.m.