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

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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.

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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.

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