The Spin: Sam Merrill Blisters Hometown Jazz As Cavs Nail Season-High 23 Threes
The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Utah Jazz 124-116 behind 23 threes for their third straight victory. Spencer Davies highlights five observations from the game.
Twice The Home Cooking
For the second straight contest, Sam Merrill brought his A-game to the floor when the Cavs needed it. On the heels of his amazing night against the Houston Rockets, Merrill poured in a career-high (and game-leading) 27 points on an NBA career-high eight threes made.
This one felt a little more special than others, though, as it came against the team he watched and loved as a kid in his hometown and home state.
"We all work too hard to not enjoy moments like this for sure," Merrill said after the win. "And I've worked as hard as I could and felt like there were times where maybe this wasn't going to work out. To be honest, in high school, my goal was to play Division I basketball. The NBA was never even in my sights. I just didn't think that was going to happen 'cause guys where I'm from usually don't and just kept working and working and working.
"And there's been ups and downs these last three-and-a-half years since I've been out of college. And I grew up in Utah, so I was a huge Jazz fan growing up. So to be able to have a game like that against them is even more special for sure.”
Merrill has knocked down 13 of his 24 attempts from three in his last two games.
"I think once he hits one, the other team is on high alert," Caris LeVert said. "Obviously, when you have a deadly shooter like that on the floor, you have to account for him. And he's someone who has a quick memory too. So if he misses one, he's shooting the next one. So it's tough to guard guys like that."
"That's my bench buddy. The guy's got a flamethrower as y'all can see," Craig Porter Jr. added. "It's nothin' new. We all know it's there. It's just one of those things when you number's called upon, you've got to be ready. He's been tremendous for us. We needed that big pick-up for sure."
Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff pointed out how important Merrill's off-ball activity is to the team.
"It takes eyes off of whatever's happening where the ball is, and it's getting to a point where it's not just four eyes, sometimes it's six to eight eyes," Bickerstaff said. "And then, guys are so concerned that slips happen. You get easy opportunities at the rim, now the guy with the ball can drive and attack and play in space, and it's a 1-on-1 situation. So it just opens the floor up, and it opens the game up for everybody."
Merrill brought up what he can bring to the table when that focus is on him.
"I think we talk about what really good shooters do as far as gravity goes, and cutting and screening and opening things up for other guys," Merrill said. "And me and Max [Strus], I feel like we're able to get a few baskets for guys just by either screening or cutting.
"And I handled the ball a lot in college — and I don't anticipate that being a huge part of my game — but just with my coaches, individual coaches, we've been working on what's going to happen when guys start running me off the line and how can I be effective there? So I want to just keep expanding and focusing on what my strengths are, but being ready for whatever comes my way.”
Dec 20, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) celebrates his three-point basket in the fourth quarter against the Utah Jazz at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Let 'Em Know... Or Fly
While the Cavs won't likely be making 23 threes nor taking 51 of them on a nightly basis, the change is their shot profile is not something to scoff at. In five of their last six games, they've attempted at least 40 triples. This was before the devastating injuries to Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, and it's been the case after as well.
The strategy? Get it inside to Jarrett Allen. He'll get going early, dunk a few, put up some hook shots, finish some alley oops. Whatever he can do to force opposing teams to shrink in, it opens up the outside for the wine-and-gold to take advantage.
"Obviously you're missing some pieces, so offensively, you have to make some adjustments," Bickerstaff said. "And playing a little bit more the analytics game and paying attention to your shot types a little bit more, understanding the value of the three-point shot, and obviously the guys that are taking them and how we're creating them.
"They're not a lot of just 1-on-1 pull-ups. It's a lot of ball movement and sharing the game and creating for one another. Like, 34 assists on 45 made field goals is big time. And that means everybody's involved. That means everybody's sharing it. You look at [the box score], everybody who played had an assist. So that's kind of what we need to do. And the guys are taking to it."
Led by Merrill's eight, the Cavs bench was responsible for 15 of the team's long-rangers. LeVert knocked down four of them, and Georges Niang — who had 14 points off that bench — had three.
Let's just say he is enjoying Cleveland's uptick in perimeter shooting.
"That's the reason why I'm here," Niang said. "Big emphasis on shooting, taking and making good threes and we have done that. Sam was a big part of that. But I think with ball movement and player movement, we've done a good job of taking the three-point shots that we want to take.
"They didn't bring me here to stand around and look cute, I'll tell you that. So you might as well do what you're brought here to do. I think you've got to be confident enough in yourself to know that each shot has one life. You make it or miss it. And then the next one, if it's the right shot to take, you got to shoot it, whether you made or missed the last one. I think everyone from Max, Sam, Dean [Wade], Donovan [Mitchell] for sure, Darius for sure, you just got to shoot the next one.”
Calm, Cool, Collected Rookie
Without Mitchell due to illness, the Cavs looked to Porter to step in and step up. To no surprise, he did just that. A stat-sheet stuffer, he was in the mix all throughout this game.
Standing at 6-foot-2, CPJ led the game with three blocks and was among the night's leaders in rebounds with seven boards. Those are big-man numbers, but it's just who he is as a player and we've seen it before.
"He's just really, really mature and understands the game at a high level," Bickerstaff said. "And he does things that most guards typically can't do. He rebounds the ball in traffic. He gets deflections, he blocks shots, he just plays much bigger than his size. But it's a poise and understanding of who he is, and then going out and playing with confidence and his teammates trust him.
"It's odd. He did it in college, did it in junior college, it's his history. He's got an uncanny ability to just find the ball. A lot of times people think they've beat him, and, somehow, some way, he's there to challenge it, contest it and block it. So it's extremely unique. And it's something you don't see often. But, it works, and it's something that's continued to work at all levels he's played."
Porter is grateful that Cleveland turned to him among being down bodies. Not only just to start, but also to handle and run the offense.
"Having a coach who has confidence in me at this early in my career to just go out there and help the team win, it's big," Porter said. "It just gives me the confidence to just play free and not think so much. And I mean, the proof's in the pudding. We're rolling right now, so as we keep going, I'm going to get more and more confident. He sees something in me, so I'm just going to keep making sure he believes in me.
"I know he sees... I mean, I guess greatness, which I hope (laughs). But he sees that I just know how to play basketball the right way, and I think that's something that he likes. It's just a great attribute to a lot of the shooters we've got around this team and some of the guys who might need me to create for 'em. So it's just a good attribute."
Bench Punched
Thanks to those aforementioned 15 threes and a whole lot of scoring, the Cavs' second unit bludgeoned the Jazz's by a tally of 75-32. That is a wide margin, to say the least. Each member had double-digits, including unsung hero Tristan Thompson's 10 points.
"I think we did a great job of moving the ball first and foremost. We got in there, the ball was hopping," Niang said. "We did a good job of exploiting their zone and kind of mixing things up with them. I think down the stretch we defended well. Obviously a little bit in the second half, we kind of let go of the rope a little bit, but for the most part I think there's our ball movement and ability to get stops and get out and run.”
"We know we have depth. We just have worked to get to it, and obviously the injuries kind of forced your hand a little bit," Bickerstaff added. "But you know who these guys are, and I give our front office a ton of credit for being able to find diamonds in the rough so to speak. To be able to find the Dean Wade's of the world, the Sam's of the world, the Craig Porter's of the world, where they weren't highly touted or drafted even. But understanding their talent level and going out and getting them on a deal."
So Many Connections
The Cavs and Jazz are linked in so many ways. The most prominent of the night was Collin Sexton's first game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse since Nov. 3, 2021. That was nice to hear the ovation he got. Lauri Markkanen received a good hand too. Lamar Skeeter, a Utah assistant coach, used to be in Cleveland in a similar position.
Ochai Agbaji played 16 minutes off the bench, a former Cavs lottery pick. Jordan Clarkson was with the Jazz, but didn't play due to injury.
Kelly Olynyk, who played a part in Kevin Love's injury back in the 2015 NBA Playoffs, was mercilessly booed into oblivion anytime he sniffed the ball Wednesday.
On the flip side, Niang spent many years with the Jazz, albeit a different version of the franchise than this. I'm probably missing something else because there's so many links. All of that on top of Merrill's story. How cool.
