Cavs Insider

Cavaliers’ Sam Merrill Breaks Franchise Record Against Hornets

According to @CavsNotes on X, the Cleveland guard broke Donyell Marshall’s franchise record for most bench three-pointers in a season on Wednesday night.
Logan Potosky|
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 27: Sam Merrill #5 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts following a basket during the first half of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on March 27, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 27: Sam Merrill #5 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts following a basket during the first half of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on March 27, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. | Jared C. Tilton/GettyImages

In this story:

Cleveland Cavaliers

This season, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill has been a critical part of the team’s bench unit.

In his first 54 games of the season, the 27-year-old sharpshooter was averaging career-bests of 8.0 points, 2.4 three-pointers, 2.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 0.1 blocks per contest.

Thanks to a red-hot start against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night, he has now etched his name into Cavaliers history.

According to @CavsNotes on X, Merrill set a new Cleveland franchise record with his 129th three-pointer off the bench this season. He surpassed Donyell Marshall’s previous record of 128 triples off the bench, which he set during the 2005-06 season.

Sam Merrill
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 27: Sam Merrill #5 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts following a basket during the first half of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on March 27, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. | Jared C. Tilton/GettyImages

On Wednesday night, Merrill did not take long to make a strong impact off the bench for the Wine and Gold. In the first quarter, he shot a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range in just 4:46 of playing time, tying a game-high with nine points.

Then, with 9:18 remaining in the second quarter, the Cleveland guard drained the record-breaker, which was his fourth consecutive three-pointer to begin his night. He ultimately tied a game-high with 14 first-half points, shooting 4-for-5 from beyond the arc and 2-for-3 from the free-throw line.

This performance was a strong part of the Cavaliers’ remarkable 13-for-21 (61.9%) performance from three-point range in the game’s first 24 minutes.

Merrill also has another pair of three-pointers to his credit this season. He shot 2-for-6 (33.3%) from deep against the Boston Celtics in his lone start of the season back on March 5.

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
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.

Home/News