CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs were already going to be without second-year forward Jaylon Tyson, statistically the team’s best 3-point shooter this season.
Now their second-best long-distance marksman will also be unavailable.
Starting shooting guard Sam Merrill is out Wednesday night against the Houston Rockets because of a right hand sprain suffered in the opening minutes of Monday’s 118-106 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
It will be Merrill’s fourth missed game this season.
After feeling pain and trying to play through the injury, Merrill went back to the locker room for examination at one point early in the first half. He quickly returned and was able to finish the game without issue, tallying 20 points on 7 of 10 shooting and 6 of 9 from 3-point range in 28 impactful minutes.
After the game, Merrill unexpectedly downplayed the injury.
“Great,” he said when asked how it was feeling. “I jammed it on that first play. I wasn’t sure if I was gonna be able to shoot, but adrenaline’s a real thing, so I figured it out.”
Merrill underwent further evaluation on Tuesday, which revealed a sprain. He did not participate in Wednesday’s shootaround and his status moving forward is unclear.
In 12 games, including eight as a starter, Merrill is averaging 13.9 points while shooting 46.6% from the floor and 44.4% from beyond the arc.
Along with Merrill and Tyson, the Cavs will also be without Darius Garland (toe injury management) and Max Strus (foot surgery) Wednesday night.
While Tyson remains in the concussion protocol, he has been cleared for on-court basketball activities and may return Friday night.
With both Merrill and Tyson unavailable — two guys who have stepped into the starting lineup at various points this season — youngster Nae’Qwan Tomlin will enter the starting five in hopes of combating Houston’s rebounding edge.
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