Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill has missed a lot of games in the 2025-26 NBA season. He could be sitting out at least one more after suffering an apparent injury in the Cavs' Wednesday night's road game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.
Merrill hurt left the 76ers game in the first half after hurting his right hand, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
Before he left the contest, the former Utah State Aggies star scored just three points on 1-for-5 shooting from the field and grabbed three rebounds in just 10 minutes of action off the bench.
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Merrill has been one of the most reliable offensive weapons, especially around the perimeter, for the Cavaliers this season, but his availability has become a major issue for the sharpshooter. He missed 14 games earlier in the campaign because of another right-hand injury.
A potential absence by Merrill will be felt by the Cavaliers, especially since he's been playing well since the calendar flipped to 2026. In the five games before the meeting with the 76ers, the 29-year-old Merrill averaged 18.0 points on a 78.4 effective field goal percentage. He also shot 57.1 percent from behind the arc.
As for the game, the Cavaliers took care of business in the City of Brotherly Love, as they eked out a 133-107 win over Joel Embiid and the 76ers. Donovan Mitchell erupted for 35 points to lead all scorers in the contest, while Darius Garland, who also exited the game with an injury, generated 20 points. De'Andre Hunter added 17 points off the bench for Cleveland, which improved its record to 23-19.