Sam Merrill brings much-needed ‘randomness’ and ‘chaos’ to Cavs’ starting lineup in win over Timberwolves

Key Highlights

• That grouping was outscored by 19 points in under 10 minutes of playing time. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAtkinson didn’t blame Porter for that group’s poor performance when asked about it on Saturday.
• While it’s clear that the starting lineup didn’t work, his hesitancy to initially go to Merrill came from wanting to fortify bench units that have been an issue all season. Cleveland has had the third-worst point differential in third quarters this season.
• Much of that is due to not having steady bench lineups that work.
• This is where injuries, and players like Lonzo Ball not performing as expected, have really hurt, since the second quarter is when Atkinson typically plays the ninth and 10th men in his rotation most. Moving Porter into the starting lineup on Thursday was done in part to keep the bench units in place.
• This allowed De’Andre Hunter, Tyson, and Merrill to all play their typical spots in the rotation.