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Cavs guard Sam Merrill out with hamstring injury versus Pistons in Game 2 of their 2nd-round series

DETROIT (AP) — Cleveland Cavaliers reserve guard Sam Merrill is out of the lineup with a hamstring injury against the Detroit Pistons in Game 2 of their second-round series on Thursday night.

Merrill was injured early in a Game 1 loss to the Pistons on Tuesday night. He had an MRI and was held out of practice on Wednesday.

The 29-year-old Merrill averaged 12.8 points during the regular season and scored in double digits twice in the seven-game, first-round series against the Toronto Raptors.

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The arrival of AJ Dybantsa gives Wizards hope

For the first time in almost a half-century, the Washington Wizards could be closer to contending for an NBA title with the arrival of AJ Dybantsa. The team drafted the 6-foot-9 forward with the first pick of the 2026 NBA draft after finishing as one of the worst teams in the league in the past three years. They got the No. 1 overall pick after winning the draft lottery in May for the first time since 2010 -- when they drafted John Wall. The Wizards hope, with the arrival of Dybantsa, that they can start winning games and competing for the playoffs with a chance to win their first championship since 1978. In the past three seasons, they finished with a combined record of 50-196. “We’re definitely getting a difference maker on the basketball court. There’s no doubt about that,” Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said. “What I would want our fans to know night one is that he is a worker. He is a passionate person who loves basketball and will continue to work and get better.”
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