Category: Basketball

…and that … was an ugly one.

The Washington Wizards lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder 114-75 on Saturday night at the Paycom Center. The Wizards are now 4-6 while the Thunder improve to 8-2.

Washington finished the first quarter down 25-19 shooting under 30 percent in the period. That was the warning sign and it persisted through the rest of the first half. The Wizards were down 57-36 at the end of the first half and … yeah. They shot just 28.8 percent for the half while the Thunder shot 50 percent.

If Alex Sarr didn’t have a double double in the first half with 13 points and 11 rebounds, there wouldn’t be much to root for. It also didn’t help that Anthony Davis missed his second straight game due to an ankle injury he suffered earlier in the week.

After the third quarter, Washington was down 90-59, so let’s just say that by then, I decided to start writing the recap. The Wizards ended up shooting under 30 percent from the field, and 7-of-43 from the three point line. It was ugly.

AJ Dybantsa led the Wizards with 19 points overall, while Sarr finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Trae Young only scored 4 points on 1-of-6 shooting.

For the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led with 30 points.

The Wizards’ next game is against the Detroit Pistons on the road Monday. Tip off is at 7 p.m. ET. See you then.

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the New York Knicks 109-97. Donovan Mitchell finished with a season-high 37 points.

The Cavs started strong for the second night in a row, showing active hands defensively in the first quarter to force three Knicks turnovers. They also held the Knicks to just 3-of-11 three-point shooting in the opening quarter.

Karl-Anthony Towns kept New York attached. He scored 14 points in the first quarter while throwing down a pair of thunderous dunks. This was a much more difficult matchup for Mobley than the previous night, when he held Joel Embiid to 0-of-9 shooting.

A Knicks run led by Jalen Brunson put New York back in front going into halftime. Brunson hit tough shots en route to 16 points in a five-minute stretch. He finished the first half with 20 points.

Cleveland trailed 63-53 at halftime. Then the Knicks blew it open in the third quarter to extend an 18-point lead into the final frame.

New York’s quick-hitting offense, which thrives on off-ball movement and screening, had the Cavs perpetually lost throughout the night. James Harden struggled to navigate screens, while the rest of the Cavaliers (even Evan Mobley) weren’t able to communicate cleanly enough to avoid giving up opportunities at the rim.

This proved to be a bad combination for the Cavs in last year’s playoffs, and it looks like their personnel still isn’t able to keep up with New York’s offense.

Towns and Brunson ended with a combined 60 points. The Cavs ended this game needing far more from Evan Mobley and James Harden. The two combined for just 19 points. It felt like Mitchell was the only Cavalier who could find his shot for most of the night.

Of course, the Cavs were without some key players tonight. Jarrett Allen missed his third straight game, while Jaylon Tyson has been sidelined since before Halloween. Sam Merrill, who injured his elbow in Friday’s game, was also out tonight.

Still, there’s a larger trend of the Knicks simply outplaying the Cavs. Sometimes a team has your number, and it feels like the Knicks have held an advantage over Cleveland since 2023.

The Atlanta Hawks were in action on Saturday night to face the Brooklyn Nets. After coming off a big NBA Cup win against the Washington Wizards the night before, the Hawks were looking to make it four victories in a row for the week. The Nets came into this game after winning their previous game against the Charlotte Hornets.

The good news for the Hawks is that they got Jalen Johnson back after he missed the last three games with an ankle sprain.

As much as it was good news to get one of their frontcourt players back, they lost Onyeka Okongwu on the first play of the game after he was elbowed in the mouth (he returned later in the quarter). That must’ve had an effect on the entire team, because they went down early and fast in the first.

The Nets were making almost every shot they took, while the Hawks struggled to find a basket at times. Johnson was able to get some easy points on his return to the court.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker continued his hot shooting throughout the season, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers to keep the Hawks afloat.

Okongwu made a return after a short stint in the locker room and found Aaron Wiggins for this easy layup.

The Nets still managed to keep a double-digit lead heading into the second as the Hawks trailed 37-27.

The Hawks got into more of a rhythm in the second, and they turned defense into offense with the help of Dyson Daniels and Zuby Ejiofor.

It wasn’t long after that Wiggins and Johnson did the same thing, getting the Hawks easy points on the other end.

The Hawks were able to cut their deficit to single digits through the middle of the quarter, but the Nets ran up their lead again. Toward the end of the half, the Hawks started to make a strong run, and it helped them cut their deficit down tremendously.

Flemings use his speed to get this layup.

The Hawks got in transition a lot down the stretch, and Johnson led the way in that category to get them back into the game. Going into halftime, the Hawks trailed 70-66.

The start of the quarter was slow for the Hawks, and they weren’t able to capitalize much on bringing their deficit down before the half. The Nets continued to execute and get easy shots, but it was the second-chance opportunities they created that hurt the Hawks as well.

Johnson got out on the break again for an easy two points.

The Hawks had a lot of chances to cut their lead down, but the shots just weren’t going in. Most of the shots came up short, which may have something to do with playing the night before. Nonetheless, it was their defense that still kept them in the game.

Going into the fourth, the Hawks trailed 95-91.

It was the Wiggins show to start the fourth for the Hawks, as he scored eight straight points.

The Hawks got their deficit down to at least one point several times during their run, but they either weren’t able to score or get a stop to take the lead. That didn’t stop the Hawks from competing, even if they only had one shoe.

Wiggins continued knocking down big shots to keep the Hawks in it.

Alexander-Walker got mixey down the stretch and dropped a Nets defender, and then got this floater to go.

The Hawks kept fighting, and they were eventually able to take the lead with less than two minutes remaining. Seconds later, they were able to turn their defense into offense again to gain a 3-point lead.

It didn’t stop there, and Flemings got a huge block on Michael Porter Jr. that gave the Hawks the ball. On the next possession, Johnson was able to get downhill for an and-one to extend their lead.

The Nets tried to make a last-second effort to get their lead back, but the Hawks were able to execute and walk away with the win.

Johnson finished with 30 points, Wiggins and Alexander-Walker finished with 20 points, and Daniels finished with nine points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and six steals.

The Hawks will be back in action on Monday to face the Los Angeles Lakers.

Angel Reese will never stop being trolled from her own celebration.

Just before LSU fell, 31-13 to Alabama at Tiger Stadium, Reese was seen hanging out with her fellow LSU alumni, Shaquille O’Neal, and that’s when he continued, what’s been a recent tradition of trolling the former National Champion.

Reese was filming O’Neal on the LSU sideline, and when she pointed the camera at him and told him to say something, he put his two fingers together and hit her with the “too small” celebration.

After he taunted her, Reese is heard in the video saying, “it’s okay, it’s okay,” and then jokingly forces her camera in his face, pretending to be taking a shot at the four-time NBA champion.

The “too small” celebration has been thrown at Reese’s way since she did it in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals.

During the series, the Valkyries ended up getting the last laugh after the two teams went a full seven games, resulting in Golden State Prevailing with a 68-63 victory.

In Game 7, Gabby Williams led the Valkyries with 30 points, where she scored 28 in the second half.

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Once the game was called, Warriors rookie sensation Yaxel Lendeborg, who was in attendance was seen running onto the court and started taunting Reese with her own celebration.

The trolling continued into this past week, during the Valkyries Championship Parade, when former Warriors big man, Festus Ezeli, was seen holding a shirt of Reese doing the gesture.

Ezeli later put on the shirt and was doing the “too small” taunt to the fans in attendance.

While O’Neal was taunting Reese, it comes from a place of love, as he’s grown to be a father figure to her.

O’Neal went to LSU from 1989-1992 and was the National Player of the Year winniner for the 1991 season.

After spending his first four seasons with the Orlando Magic, O’Neal signed a record-breaking deal with the Lakers in 1996 — that would be followed up with a second contract in 2003.

Reese played two seasons at LSU, from 2022-2024.

After her senior season ended, she was drafted with the No.7 overall pick by the Chicago Sky.

Three days after a fan went viral because Luka Dončić had him removed from the game for passing the ball back to the referee with too much force, finally has an update on the incident.

Kellie DeMarco, who is a three-time Emmy Award-winning journalist and now works as a motivational speaker made a post on her Instagram on Saturday, where she wrote about her husband’s viral moment.

View this post on Instagram

The post was highlighted by a photo of the two of them sitting court-side, with the caption reading, “When date night goes viral.”

“Yes, this is my sweet husband, and yes, he’s the guy who got ejected from an NBA game. I spent nearly 20 years in TV news, and he’s getting more airtime than me!” DeMarco wrote.

“He played basketball for years, and apparently the chest pass muscle memory never left. He meant no harm, he feels terrible that it came across the wrong way, and he has nothing but respect for the officials.”

DeMarco went on to write, “Thank you for all the kind messages. We love the Kings and this community. ”

While DeMarco and her husband are remorseful for what happened, she also added that the moment hasn’t necessarily been all that bad, as she’s been receiving comments saying her husband draws a similar complexion to Steve Kerr.

The interaction with the fan and the referee happened in the third quarter of the game, after Jarred Vanderbilt blocked a 10-foot floater from Malik Monk.

The ball rolled out of bounds and landed in DeMarco’s husband’s lap.

The former college basketball player handed the ball back to the referee and passed it back, but with too much force, leaving Dončić to question why he passed it like that.

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“He just tossed – really strong – the ball towards the ref,” Dončić said, according to Khobi Price of The California Post. “I was just asking him what the hell is he doing?”

DeMarco’s husband was immediately escorted off the court after he made the pass, leaving 2:35 left in the quarter.

Welcome to the Game Thread. Veterans of the Game Thread know how we do things around here, but for all you newbies we have a few rules. Our community guidelines apply and basically say be cool, no personal attacks, don’t troll and don’t swear too much.

The Spurs took care of the Kings in Sacramento last night behind another dominant Wembanyama performance, along with 19 points each from the firm of Vassell, Castle, and Harper. The game was under control for the entire second half, and the 15 point margin of victory doesn’t really how much badly the Sacramento squad was out-talented by the Silver and Black. The Spurs still have a bench production issue, as the Kings reserves outscored the Spurs reserves 35-20, which led to Mitch Johnson not being able to rest Wembanyama as much as you would want to see. Still with Victor playing 26 minutes and the rest of the starters playing around 28, they should be rested enough to take on the Trail Blazers tonight. Victor is not listed on tonight’s injury report, despite turning his ankle on a reckless closeout by Damontas Sabonis in the first half of last night’s game, but it will bear watching to see if he’s hampered at all by the beating he’s been taking so far this season.

Tonight, they face the Portland Trail Blazers, who are pretty much full strength, except for Ja Morant, with a hammy strain, and Robert Williams (TIME LORD) resting on the second night of a back-to-back. The Blazers’ starting backcourt should be Dame Lillard and Scoot Henderson, who could be a tough matchup for the Spurs starting backcourt trio. Deni Avdija always scores a lot against the Spurs, and Donovan Clingan’s size could be tough for Wemby on the second night of a back-to-back. After losing 124-118 to the Lakers tonight, with Avdija playing almost 39 minutes, it will be interesting to see how much they have left in the tank for tonight.

As always, GO SPURS GO! It’s another late night west coast game, so I’m making my second pot of coffee of the day just before tipoff. I could be making micheladas, but then I wouldn’t make it to the final buzzer, and I want to see the Spurs win. Lets go Spurs, and De’Aaron must dominate Dame.

Game Prediction:

Robert Williams tries to use his Tardis to travel back in time to get some extra rest, but encounters his teammate Damian Lillard at the controls and finds out that Dame is also a Time Lord, the master of Dame time.
_{[The Master? … OH NO!!]}

San Antonio Spurs at Portland Trail Blazers
November 7, 2026 | 9:00 PM CT
Streaming: DAZN, League Pass
TV: DAZN
Reminder: It is against site policy to post links to illegal streams in the comments.

SAN FRANCISCO ― Golden State Warriors forward Georges Niang has brought added toughness to the team, and it rears its head often throughout the game.

Niang and Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. were separated by teammates before being assessed technical fouls a brief push-off and animated words between the two during a regular-season meeting between the Warriors and Magic on Saturday, Nov. 7 at Chase Center in San Francisco.

With 9 minutes and 17 seconds in the second quarter, Carter received an entry pass inside the paint, and Niang, out of position, committed an intentional foul, wrapping up Carter before he could get off the ground.

Warriors forward Draymond Green and guard Gary Payton II de-escalated the situation, protecting Niang.

After officials reviewed the play, double-technical fouls were handed out to Niang and Carter.

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Niang has mixed it up with anyone and everyone showing that he's a guy that's willing to scrap, claw and get in opponents face. He won't allow others to impose their will on his team. And when the Warriors want to get physical, Niang is down for the get down.

The type of energy, that type of spunk is what fellow teammate Green raves about. Green has already had to hold Niang back when getting into it with Miami Heat forward Bobby Portis and Los Angeles Lakers guard Collin Sexton.

Niang wasn't on the court during the dust up with Phoenix Suns and guard Dillon Brooks, but he looked on as if he wanted to get in the mix.

"I love that, I love that type of energy, by the way," Green said. "George has been incredible for us and the way he shoots the basketball. Crazy thing is he hasn't even shot it at a level that he shoots the ball at and yet the impact that he's had on this team on every aspect of the game. He's so smart."

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Niang is avergaing 7.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game for the Warriors through nine games. He's a career 39.7% 3-point shooter but has only connected on 30.6% of attempts so far in the 2026-27 season.

Still, it's the little things that Niang does that makes him valuable to the Warriors roster.

"What an addition," Green said. "That's one of those signings that people look at like 'aw man' but then you look up and this guy, you can't keep him off the floor. He's been absolutely great for us. I have absolutely loved being his teammate."

"I'll be honest, I have times (when) I do some random (expletive) out there, especially on the defensive end. But even on offense, and he just picks up on it like that. ... Really fun player to play with."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Warriors forward Georges Niang gets a tech after shove war with Magic

CLEVELAND — It had been more than five months since the Knicks stepped inside Rocket Arena, where they conquered the East in a resounding sweep of the Cavaliers to clinch their first NBA Finals berth in 26 years.

It was in that Eastern Conference finals that Landry Shamet emerged as a folk hero, beginning with his instantly iconic game-tying 3-pointer that miraculously bounced in during the 22-point fourth quarter comeback in Game 1.

After being ousted from the rotation in the first round, Shamet went 11-for-12 on 3-pointers against the Cavaliers, setting a single-series postseason record.

When Shamet returned to the site of the team’s celebration Saturday morning, he was welcomed by some of the best memories of his career.

“It’s human nature, you’re gonna revert back and think back to the last time you were in the building,” Shamet said before scoring nine points in the Knicks’ 109-97 win over the Cavaliers on Saturday night. “I had a quick little firing of that walking in for shootaround, but I think the general sense was that was last year. That was great. You can have those memories and hang on to that as long as we want, but ultimately this year is a new year and a new endeavor.”

Shamet’s ninth season in the league is unlike any he’s experienced.

After spending his first six years with five teams, Shamet has started his third straight season with the same team for the first time.

After playing on nonguaranteed deals the past two seasons in New York — and claiming the final roster spot last fall — Shamet, 29, is now in the first year of a four-year, $24 million contract that he signed with the Knicks this summer.

“The biggest thing is just being comfortable with the guys on the floor, second year with [head coach] Mike [Brown],” said Shamet who started for the injured Josh Hart in Saturday night’s win. “I think that just breeds confidence. Familiarity breeds confidence. There’s no denying that. It allows you to get to the point of conversations quicker. It makes for a good formula to find success.”

Entering Saturday, Shamet was averaging 9.4 points — ranking fourth on the Knicks — while shooting 42.5 percent on 3-pointers and playing his most minutes (24.9) in seven seasons.

Shamet made his first start of the season — in place of the injured Josh Hart — in Wednesday’s blowout win over the Bulls. In the Knicks’ previous two wins, Shamet was on the floor for the closing stretch, as the struggling Mikal Bridges remained on the bench.

Shamet does not know when he will be needed. He does not need to, likening his spot on the team to that of his high school friend Aaron Ashby, who just delivered one of the greatest postseason runs by a reliever for the World Series champion Brewers.

“Especially with [my] role, I think I take a lot from my buddy Ashby, bullpen guy, you don’t know when you’re gonna get thrown in, what the situation’s gonna be,” Shamet said. “My job might look a little different from night to night. If I’m changing my approach every night, that’s not setting myself up for a good situation.

“I think in the past in my career when I was younger I would try to overcomplicate things and think I have to reinvent the wheel. I try to just keep it as simple as possible, reduce it down to my job, my impact and just play my game.”

Kevin McCullar Jr. is the newest addition to this Raptors’ roster, joining Toronto on a two-way deal earlier this week on November 5th. The former New York Knick is a 25 year old small forward, standing at 6’6” with a 6’9” wingspan.

After being waived from New York to make space to sign Dalton Knecht, McCullar Jr. joined the Raptors. The leader of the Big 12 in scoring in his senior year, he was an All-American on the Kansas Jayhawks before turning pro. In the NBA, his biggest role came in his sophomore year with the Knicks, where he played in 21 games, including a stretch of matchups when Josh Hart went down with an injury.

From our sister site Posting and Toasting, an idea begins to emerge about who he is beyond the stats. Writer Michael Zeno said that the forward exhibited “pure hustle” while being a threat from deep off the catch-and-shoot, with a penchant for picking up some unnecessary fouls.

From his highlights, you see a shooter with good form, someone who can knock it down past the arc while remaining competent closer to the basket. Having spent time in the G League, the Westchester Knicks made a video interviewing him about his personality, on and off the court. He called his stepback his “go-to move”, which he said was his main way of independent shot creation.

This offensive toolkit is certainly something that the Raptors require. Being able to play without the ball in your hands, to allow for the Raptors’ arsenal of creators to set the flow of the offence, while not freezing up when executive decisions need to be made, sounds like just what the doctor ordered for this Raptors team. Jamison Battle is the teammate comparison that comes immediately to mind; and while the forward has not yet developed the same reputation as a knock-down shooter, his development further him along in that direction.

In the G League, McCullar Jr. averaged nearly 17 points and six assists, along with three stocks per game, showing some two-way capabilities. He’ll likely spend a lot of time on the Raptors 905 developing further, and bolstering a team which just lost its first matchup to the College Park Skyhawks this week.

McCullar Jr. could be the next Raptors success story, developing well and making it out of the G-League to become a productive pro. In a situation where it feels like a roster shakeup is inevitable, the Raptors are taking this first step to bolster the team’s shooting.

The Lakers (8-2) embark on their first true road trip of the season on Sunday, starting with a stop in Detroit to take on the Pistons (6-2). This is the first contest of a four consecutive games away from home.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers at Detroit Pistons

When: 3 p.m. PT, Nov. 8

Where: Little Caesars Arena

Watch: NBA TV, Spectrum Sportsnet

After a home-heavy start to the season, the Lakers will hit the road for their first road trip of the season, starting with the stiffest test of the slate.

The red-hot start from the Lakers and Luka Dončić offensively has them ranked as the top offense in the league. The Pistons, meanwhile, enter the contest with the best defense in the league, pitting strength vs. strength.

Like Portland, Detroit plays a physical defensive style to try to overwhelm opponents. Offensively, that hasn’t deterred the Lakers in either matchup against the Blazers, but Detroit is arguably the best in the league at that style of play, so it’ll be a tough test for the purple and gold.

Like the Lakers, the Pistons excel at steals and blocks on the defensive end. However, they are simply average at rebounding, unlike the Lakers, which allows them to close out possessions and bolster their defensive rating.

Detroit allows the third-fewest wide-open 3-point attempts and teams have hit the fewest wide open threes against them in the league. That stat will be put to the test against Luka and Austin Reaves, depending on how they opt to scheme against them defensively.

One area the Lakers could find success is getting to the line. The Pistons put opponents on the line often, ranking 24th in the league in opponent free throw attempts. The Lakers are fourth in the league in free throw attempts per game.

After battling one of the Western Conference’s top teams on Friday, the Lakers will have another tough test on Sunday afternoon against one of the East’s elites.

It’ll be an interesting test for the purple and gold, and another chance to see how they respond to top competition.

Notes and Updates

• Detroit has been off since losing to the Sixers on Wednesday, so this will be a well-rested Pistons team.
• After playing in Friday’s G League opener for the Coachella Valley Lakers, both Cameron Carr and Bronny James are joining the parent team on the road trip
• Luka is a new addition to the injury report with back tightness as he’s listed as questionable. It’s the same injury that led to him missing a game against the Clippers earlier this season.
• Jalen Duran (hamstring strain) remains out for the Pistons while Isiah Joe is also out with a right hip contusion.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will welcome the New York Knicks to town for the second end of a brutal back-to-back.

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Will the Suns shock the Rockets?

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Kenny Atkinson found himself trending for all the wrong reasons during the Cleveland Cavaliers matchup with the New York Knicks in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals.

In case you missed it, here’s what Atkinson told reporters after the Cavs were already trailing the series 0-3.

“I think analytically, I think we’ve won the — I said three out of three [games in the series], we’re two out of three in the expected wins, I don’t know if you guys follow that — the expected score. We’ve won two out of three.”

Yeah… Cavs fans weren’t happy about that.

Jokes have followed Atkinson into the current season. Every loss is followed with a sarcastic rendition of ‘analytically, we actually won.’

Atkinson finally had a chance to clear the air before Cleveland’s rematch with the New York Knicks on Saturday night.

“I answered the question of ‘you’re down 3-o, what hope do you guys have?’ and I wasn’t lying, but in no sense was it like ‘oh, we deserve to be winning’; there was zero thought of that,” said Atkinson.

It’s not easy to give an optimistic spin when your team is trailing 0-3 in a series. Atkinson learned that the hard way.

“I think when you look back on it and take the context of the question, I’m not sure that was taken into account, which was a little bit of a lesson for me,” said Atkinson. “I would just say, there was no coach more complimentary of the Knicks and honest about our performance and how they dominated us.”

The Cavs were winning in some key expected margins during the series. Particularly in the first two games, where it felt like Cleveland was taking quality shots but just weren’t making them. All of that might help you sleep at night — but it doesn’t change the end result. Atkinson understands that.

“As coaches, we have to check our process, like, are we getting the right shots?” said Atkinson. “But it kind of doesn’t matter, right? Because there’s more than that. There is the mental toughness and physical toughness. The flow of the game, how aggressive you are, there’s all these other intangibles that go in with that.”

The 2026-27 NBA season may still be in its early stages, but Luka Dončić’s historic start is putting his name in the history books.

And while the Lakers still have 72 regular-season games left, the Slovenian superstar is on the trajectory to achieve a feat none of the league’s great scorers have accomplished over the last 64 years. 

Not even Michael Jordan.

Or James Harden.

Or Kobe Bryant.

With his season-high 53 points in Friday’s home win over the Trail Blazers, Dončić has scored 361 points through his first nine games of the season, which is the most by a player through their first nine games since Wilt Chamberlain (472 points) in 1962-63. Chamberlain also scored 455 points to open the 1961-62 season. 

Chamberlain ended those seasons with scoring averages of 50.4 (1961-62) and 44.8 (1962-63), which are the highest marks in NBA history.

Dončić enters Sunday’s road game against the Pistons, which he’s questionable for because of low back tightness, averaging a league-best 40.1 points. 

Chamberlain is the only player in league history to average at least 40 points for a season.

The closest anyone else has gotten was Jordan at 37.1 points in 1986-87. Harden (36.1 in 2018-19), Rick Barry (35.6 in 1966-67) and Bryant (35.4 in 2005-06) are the only other players in league history to average at least 35 points for a season.

Dončić’s career-high scoring average for a season is 33.9 points, which he set in 2023-24 while with the Mavericks. He averaged 33.5 points in 2025-26 in his first full season with the Lakers.

But with the start to the season he’s gotten off to, it begged the question: Could he join Chamberlain as the lone players to average at least 40 points for a season?

“It’s obviously a long season,” Dončić said. “We’re just 10 games in. We got 72 left. But as long as we win, I’m good. Hopefully it continues, but you never know.”

The answer to that question won’t be known until the season is over.

But with Dončić being one of the most prolific scorers in league history, the possibility can’t be ruled out. 

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers will be without the services of sharpshooter Sam Merrill in their matchup against the defending champion New York Knicks on Saturday evening. Merrill suffered a right elbow injury that caused him to miss the second half of Friday’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers. As of now, the severity of the injury is unknown.

“I noticed it (the injury) during the game last night, there’s something not right,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said on Saturday. “Of course, Sam said ‘I’m fine, I’m fine,’ and then he wasn’t fine.”

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This has been a difficult start to the season for Merrill. He’s struggled to find his three-point shot as he’s connecting on 32.6% from distance so far. How much of that slump is due to an injured shoulder is unknown. What the Cavs do know now, is that missing Merrill for an extended period would be an issue for the Cavs.

“Of course there’s a level of concern there,” Atkinson said. “He’s the ultimate connector for the Cavs. You know our record without him last year was not good. Him and J.A. (Jarrett Allen), those guys connect the game for us so hopefully it won’t be too long.”

Last season, the Cavs did struggle without Merrill. They were just 15-15 in games he didn’t play last season and 37-15 when he did play.

Saturday’s contest against the Knicks will be the first game Merrill has missed this season. Merrill has averaged 7.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists on .386/.326/.917 shooting splits in nine games.