Is Sam Merrill playing tonight? Cleveland Cavaliers face unexpected setback ahead of crucial clash with the Boston Celtics

On Wednesday night, the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers will clash at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The tip-off time is set for 7 p.m. ET. However, the Cavaliers' development may be halted by the recent injury setback.

Sam Merrill, their star player, reportedly won't be at their upcoming game. Merrill will have to sit out at least one game due to his health issue after leaving Monday's game against the Detroit Pistons in the first quarter. Friday's encounter with the Toronto Raptors will be his next match.

Cleveland Cavaliers hit with untimely blow ahead of crucial showdown against the Boston Celtics

Following a first-round 0-3 after cashing, the Cavaliers bounced back to crush the Detroit Pistons on Monday night as a 2-point favorite and picked up their first cover of the year.

On the other hand, the Celtics visited the New Orleans Pelicans, betting as a 4.5-point favorite. The Celtics were led by G Anfernee Simons' 25 points off the bench. However, recently, unfortunate for the Cavs, Sam Merrill has been labelled as OUT for tonight's game against the Boston Celtics due to a right hip injury. Merrill was only able to play 18 minutes because of the injury he sustained during the third quarter of Cleveland's victory over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night.

Despite having grasped his hip earlier in the game, Merrill played until the third quarter. Stating the same, Cavs’ head coach Kenny Atkinson said after the win:“He’s hurting.. When Sam can’t come back in the game, it’s [painful]. I think Evan [Mobley] actually hit him in the hip. Somehow they [collided]. Looks like a hip pointer. Those are painful, so we’ll see. But he’s hurting right now.”Aside from Sam Merrill, Max Strus and Darius Garland are also sidelined due to injury. The Cavaliers can start Jaylon Tyson on Wednesday while Darius Garland continues preparing to play in spite of the setback.

Cleveland Cavaliers face an unfortunate twist just as Sam Merrill was beginning to shine

Sam Merrill was chosen to start for Cleveland in the 2025–26 season to replace Darius Garland and Max Strus. Merrill has had an early-season breakout, averaging 17.3 points on 52.5% shooting from the field and 51.4% from three-point range through the team's first four games. For a Cavaliers squad that was just beginning to establish, Merrill's injury came at the worst possible time. The team's 3-1 start has been largely due to his perimeter shooting, as he has made 18 threes in four games.

The rotation had begun to stabilize with De'Andre Hunter's return, but Cleveland will once again need to make adjustments.

Merrill has been the Cavaliers' best player in their first three games, according to head coach Kenny Atkinson during Sunday's victory over Milwaukee Bucks. He will now probably look to Lonzo Ball or Jaylon Tyson to replace Merrill. When the Cavaliers host the Toronto Raptors on Friday, October 31, Merrill will have another opportunity to make a comeback.With an average of 4.5 3-point field goals made, Merrill leads the squad. He is shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 51.7 percent from beyond the arc. Hence, it is safe to say that he is a phenomenal player. Also read: Is Jayson Tatum playing tonight? Boston Celtics star’s injury update and status for Detroit Pistons game revealed