Sam Merrill helped the Cleveland Cavaliers close out their eighth straight win in the first 15 minutes Monday night.
Merrill hit his first five 3-point attempts and scored 20 of his 26 points in the first half as the Cavaliers rolled to a 126-99 win over the Orlando Magic.
Donovan Mitchell added 25 points and 13 assists for the Cavs, who shot 20 for 38 (53%) from 3-point range. Cleveland never trailed and led by 36 at one point. Merrill’s fifth 3-pointer gave them a 48-27 lead just three minutes into the second quarter.
“He’s doing it consistently,” said Jarrett Allen, who set a franchise record with his 12th straight double-double. “We feel like we can give him the ball every single time and he’s going to make the shot. In my mind he hasn’t missed yet.”
The Cavs’ win streak is one short of the NBA’s longest this season (set by the Magic from Nov. 15-Dec. 1 and the Los Angeles Clippers from Dec. 2-20), and all of it has been accomplished without Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, the team’s second- and third-leading scorers.
Allen, who didn’t score until the Cavs had a 21-point lead, finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds and was given a game ball.