Sam Merrill Scores Career-High, Helps Cavs Beat Rockets In OT
Dec 18, 2023, 9:41 PM
Sam Merrill #5 of the Cleveland Cavaliers poses during media day at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on October 02, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Former Utah State men’s basketball standout Sam Merrill scored a career-high and helped the Cleveland Cavaliers defeat the Houston Rockets in overtime.
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Sam Merrill scores career-high in win over Rockets
The Cavaliers hosted the Rockets at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio on Monday, December 18.
Merrill scored a career-high 19 points to help the Cavs pick up a 135-130 overtime victory over the visitors from Houston.
The former Aggie knocked down a three-pointer from 25 feet out with 1:37 remaining in overtime to put Cleveland ahead on the scoreboard, 131-124.
The triple helped secure a five-point win for the Cavaliers.
we'll just leave this here. ✨@smerrill05 | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/WSIUqFW4fs
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) December 19, 2023
Merrill finished the contest scoring his 19 points on 6-11 shooting, including 5-10 from beyond the arc. He added four rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block in 24 minutes off of the bench. Merrill posted a plus-13 rating, the highest plus-minus for any member of the Cavaliers roster.
Our OT DAWG. #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/BxxKhmIY96
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) December 19, 2023
Merrill entered the contest averaging 3.7 points per game on 38.1 percent shooting. He is also averaging 1.0 rebounds, 0.7 assists, and 0.2 blocks in 8.5 minutes per game. Merrill has played in 14 games this season.
With the win, the Cavaliers improved their record to 15-12 this season.
VICTORY MONDAY.
HIGHLIGHTS & STATS📊: https://t.co/UvwakAdGUv@betwayusa | #LetEmKnow
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) December 19, 2023
Cleveland’s next game is at home against the Utah Jazz on December 20 at 5 p.m. (MT). The game will be broadcast on KJZZ, Jazz+, NBA League Pass, KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM), KSLSports.com, and the KSL Sports app.
About Sam Merrill
Before his professional career, the Bountiful High product was a star for the Aggies. During his time at USU, Merrill was honored as AP Honorable Mention All-American (2019), Mountain West Conference Player of the Year (2019), first-team All-Mountain West (2019 & 2020), and Moutain West tournament MVP (2019 & 2020).
. @smerrill05 checking out for the final time in the Spectrum to the chants of "M-V-P…M-V-P…"https://t.co/Oruur8C87O pic.twitter.com/hoZaTxW8SG
— Matthew L Glade (@matthewLksl) February 26, 2020
After a standout career at USU, Merrill was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the No. 60 overall pick during the 2020 NBA Draft. Merrill was sent to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of a draft day trade.
RELATED: Former Utah State Guard Sam Merrill Selected By Milwaukee Bucks In 2020 NBA Draft
Since his rookie season, Merrill has played for the Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies, and Cavaliers. He’s also played in the G League for the Memphis Hustle and Cleveland Charge.
A couple Btown legends making history! Former @BountifulHigh stars @smerrill05 and @Brady_BYU making big moves.@kslsports // #RollTribe pic.twitter.com/Qmk8W8qsw9
— Hemā Heimuli Jr. (@x_hems) December 30, 2020
In 2021, Merrill helped the Bucks win the NBA Finals.
During his NBA career, the Utah State alum has averaged 3.5 points, 1.1 rebounds, 0.7 assists, and 0.3 steals in his first 54 games played.
Kyle Ireland is a Sports Producer and Locals in the NFL Insider for KSLSports.com. He’s also co-host of the Yards After College Podcast. Follow him on Threads (@kyleirelandksl), Instagram (@kyleirelandksl). and X (@kyleireland).
