Jarrett Allen and Larry Nance Jr. will be out of the Cleveland Cavaliers lineup for a little bit, while Sam Merrill is considered day-to-day.
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ season of injuries just keeps getting worse.
A few days ago, it looked like the Wine and Gold were heading in the right direction, but on Sunday, the team shared a discouraging injury update about two key rotational players ahead of their matchup against the Boston Celtics.
Jarrett Allen
Jarrett Allen tried playing on Friday night against the Atlanta Hawks, still nursing a finger injury. Clearly, the injury hadn’t healed enough, and JA will miss at least the next week.
“Allen previously missed three consecutive games with the injury before playing in Friday's game at Atlanta. On October 29, Allen sustained a non-displaced fracture in his left ring finger and missed the Cavaliers next two games. Allen will miss approximately one week and his return to play will be updated as appropriate,” read the press release.
Allen is averaging 14.3 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 57.3 percent from the floor in 15 games this season.
Larry Nance Jr.
With Jarrett Allen out, Larry Nance Jr. could have been in line to receive an increase in minutes. However, the veteran forward will instead miss the next three to four weeks with a calf injury.
The shared that Nance “ injured his right calf during Friday night's game at Atlanta. An MRI on Saturday at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health revealed a Grade 1 soleus strain.”
Nance has had an up-and-down season on the floor, and this is just another unfortunate setback for him.
The veteran is only averaging 3.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists while shooting 35 percent from the field and 30 percent from behind the arc in 16 games.
Oct 31, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. (22) looks to shoot beside Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram (3) in the first quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn ImagesSam Merrill
If there is any good news out of Sunday’s injury news, it's that Sam Merrill is only considered day-to-day with his right hand sprain, after injuring it against the Milwaukee Bucks on November 17.
The sharpshooter will still be out against the Celtics, but will hopefully return to the lineup in the coming days.
Merrill has been one of Cleveland’s best players when he’s on the floor, averaging a career-high 13.9 points while shooting 44 percent from three. The Cavaliers desperately need his floor spacing back.