The Cleveland Cavaliers could be down another starter as they take on one of the best teams in the league in the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Sharpshooter Sam Merrill is questionable for that game with
what is being designated as a right-hand sprain.
Merrill seemed to injure his hand in the first half of the Cavs’ win over the Milwaukee Bucks. He briefly left the sideline with Cavs head athletic trainer Steve Spiro before emerging again a few minutes later. Afterward, he tried to downplay the severity of the injury saying that his finger felt “fantastic.”
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“I jammed it on that first play,” Merrill said after the win. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I was gonna be able to shoot, but adrenaline is a real thing, so I figured it out.”
The injury didn’t seem to bother Merrill much on Monday as he registered 20 points on 6-9 shooting.
“I wasn’t sure if he was going to come back into the game,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “He’ll probably say it’s nothing. … He was like, ‘I’ll try it out, let me see if I can shoot.’
It turns out he could shoot.
We’ll see if he can do so again on Wednesday. The Cavs will be without Darius Garland (toe), Jaylon Tyson (concussion), and Max Struss (foot). Meanwhile, the Rockets won’t have Tari Eason (oblique), and Jabari Smith Jr. is questionable with a right-knee injury.
Merrill is averaging 13.9 points, 2.3 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per game on .469/.444/.938 shooting splits.
