Cavs Insider

Merrill's Strong Shooting Helps Cavaliers To Fifth Consecutive Victory

Cleveland's Sam Merrill recorded season-highs in points and three-pointers made in Cleveland's 124-113 win over the Utah Jazz on Monday night.

Logan Potosky

Dec 23, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) rebounds in the first quarter against the Utah Jazz at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
Dec 23, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) rebounds in the first quarter against the Utah Jazz at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images
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Entering Monday night's contest, three-point shooting had been the main theme for the Cleveland Cavaliers over their previous three games.

During this span, the Wine and Gold averaged over 20 triples per contest, shooting a combined 61-for-137 (44.5%) from beyond the arc in three wins.

And this trend continued on Monday night, as the Cavaliers drilled 20 three-pointers in their 124-113 victory over the Utah Jazz. With this win, Cleveland completed a three-game homestand sweep and extended its winning streak to five games.

The Wine and Gold's strongest contributor from deep was Sam Merrill, who had his most productive offensive game of the season.

In his second start of the campaign, the sharpshooter scored a season-high 20 points. He drained a season-high six three-pointers, shooting 6-for-11 (54.5%) from three-point range, while adding four assists and a season-high three steals in 23 minutes of action.

A basketball player holding a basketball while wearing a light blue uniform.
Dec 23, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) rebounds in the first quarter against the Utah Jazz at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

With the Cavaliers ahead 60-56 after one half, Merrill gave the Wine and Gold an offensive spark in the third quarter. The 28-year-old led all players with 14 points in the period, shooting 4-for-5 (80%) from beyond the arc. As a team, Cleveland went 9-for-13 (69.2%) from three-point range in the quarter, taking a 99-88 lead into the fourth.

According to Cavs Notes on X, this was Merrill's fourth career 20-point game. He also recorded his first such performance at home versus Utah, tallying career-highs in points (27) and triples (eight) in a 124-116 win on Dec. 20, 2023.

Four Cavaliers scored at least 20 points on Monday night. In addition to Merrill, Darius Garland recorded a team-high 23, while both Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley tallied 22 apiece.

Up next, Cleveland will begin a four-game Western Conference road trip against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, Dec. 27 at 9 p.m.

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Logan Potosky
LOGAN POTOSKY

Logan Potosky is an aspiring play-by-play sports broadcaster who, to date, has called approximately 350+ hours of professional, college, and high school sporting events. He is currently the Play-by-Play Broadcaster for the Lake County Captains, the High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. He graduated from John Carroll University in May of 2023 with a degree in Communication, with a concentration in Digital Media, and a minor in Entrepreneurship.

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