Sam Merrill 4 points on 1-of-8 vs Knicks (May 21, 2026)
4 PTS · 1-of-8 FG · 0-of-7 3P · 2-of-4 FT · 23:12 MIN
Usual: 2025-26 regular season, 51 games, Oct 22 – Apr 8 (12.7 PTS · 9.4 FGA · 26.6 MIN)
Game Score -3.8 against a usual 9.4 (-13.2)
below usual
Playoff game · against the 2025-26 regular season
No more than 2 in 100 games by players at this level finish this far below their usual: playoff games, each against the player's regular-season usual.
How the score worksWhy did Sam Merrill score 4 points?
Sam Merrill scored 4 points in 23:12 against the Knicks on May 21, 2026, Game 2 of the conference finals: 1-of-8 from the field, 0-of-7 from three (0.0%), 2-of-4 on free throws. Before this game, Merrill averaged 12.7 points on 9.4 shots in 26.6 minutes across 51 regular-season games. By shot type: threes 0 points (usual 9.1). Minutes: 23:12, against a usual 26.6; Game Score per 36 minutes: -5.9, against a usual 12.7. At the Knicks, the Cavaliers lost 109-93. The box score records what changed, not why: it holds no injury, matchup or coaching information.
Generated from the box score and this season's game log. How the score works
What changed
Merrill in this game against the usual line
| Stat | This game | Usual (51 games) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes | 23:12 | 26.6 | -3.4 |
| Points | 4 | 12.7 | -8.7 |
| Shots (FGA) · FG% | 1-of-8 | 9.4 · 45.6% | -1.4 |
| 3PA · 3P% | 7 · 0.0% | 7.3 · 41.6% | -0.3 · -41.6 |
| FTA · FT% | 2-of-4 | 1.4 · 85.5% | +2.6 |
| Rebounds | 0 | 2.6 | -2.6 |
| Assists | 0 | 2.4 | -2.4 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0.8 | +0.2 |
| UsageUsual: minutes-weighted average of per-game usage, 51 games | 21.8 | 17.2 | +4.6 |
| Game Score per 36 minutes | -5.9 | 12.7 | -18.6 |
Points by shot type
Twos, threes and free throws: the changes add up to the points change
| Shot type | This game | Usual (51 games) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Threes | 0 (0-of-7) | 9.1 (3.0-of-7.3) | -9.1 |
| Twos | 2 (1-of-1) | 2.5 (1.3-of-2.1) | -0.5 |
| Free throws | 2 (2-of-4) | 1.1 (1.1-of-1.4) | +0.9 |
| Total | 4 | 12.7 | -8.7 |
Game Score
One measure of the whole box score line
-3.8 against a usual 9.4 (-13.2)
Its five parts
| Part | Change |
|---|---|
| Scoring, net of shot attempts | -9.8 |
| Rebounds | -1.0 |
| Assists | -1.7 |
| Steals and blocks | -0.7 |
| Turnovers and fouls | 0.0 |
| Total | -13.2 |
This postseason so far
Playoff games in date order, this game last; no score
| Date | Round | Opp | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 18, 2026 | First round · Game 1 | vs TOR | 20:36 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 7.2 |
| Apr 20, 2026 | First round · Game 2 | vs TOR | 20:24 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1.4 |
| Apr 23, 2026 | First round · Game 3 | @ TOR | 17:54 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4.1 |
| Apr 26, 2026 | First round · Game 4 | @ TOR | 18:54 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 8.9 |
| Apr 29, 2026 | First round · Game 5 | vs TOR | 23:12 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 8.0 |
| May 1, 2026 | First round · Game 6 | @ TOR | 17:36 | 2 | 1 | 1 | -0.9 |
| May 3, 2026 | First round · Game 7 | vs TOR | 23:12 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 10.1 |
| May 5, 2026 | Conference semifinals · Game 1 | @ DET | 6:42 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -0.3 |
| May 9, 2026 | Conference semifinals · Game 3 | vs DET | 14:12 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4.2 |
| May 11, 2026 | Conference semifinals · Game 4 | vs DET | 16:18 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 2.3 |
| May 13, 2026 | Conference semifinals · Game 5 | @ DET | 21:06 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 4.6 |
| May 15, 2026 | Conference semifinals · Game 6 | vs DET | 20:30 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 6.4 |
| May 17, 2026 | Conference semifinals · Game 7 | @ DET | 25:18 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 18.7 |
| May 19, 2026 | Conference finals · Game 1 | @ NYK | 28:18 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 8.0 |
| May 21, 2026This game | Conference finals · Game 2 | @ NYK | 23:12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -3.8 |
Context
From the rows this page already reads
- The Cavaliers lost 109-93 at the Knicks.
- Previous appearance: May 19, 2026, 2 days earlier.
- Earlier in this series: 12 points (Game 1).
- The source holds fewer Cavaliers regular-season games than the 2025-26 regular season had, so the usual line counts only the games it holds.
What this page cannot tell you
The same on every performance page
Box scores record what happened, not why: no injuries or health, defensive assignments, matchups, coaching decisions or play-by-play.
Game Score against the player's own regular-season usual line, never blended with last season. How rare a gap is comes from NBA playoff games of 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26, each postseason checked on a table fit on the others; the top tier is Rare.