Donovan Mitchell gives the reason why Sam Merrill had a historic shooting performance

Sam Merrill had a fantastic night on Wednesday for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He scored 32 points, as he almost went perfect from the field with his 11-for-12 performance. It was his best game of the season, which was much needed for Cleveland's season. 

Merill made nine of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc. It was a fantastic night for the Cavaliers' resident shooter.  They have needed the offensive punch from the bench, and he provided that against the Washington Wizards.

Merrill had a unique motivation for his superb performance

The Cavaliers are now on a five-game winning streak, which continues to propel them upwards in the Eastern Conference standings. They are peaking at the right time, just in time for the postseason race to heat up. Before the season started, the Cavaliers were considered the favorites, and they are playing like it now.

It has been a long time since the Cavaliers have been seen as a top team, but they are playing like it now. With Merrill playing as a sharpshooter again, the Cavaliers could have one of the best offenses in the league again, especially with James Harden's arrival.

MORE: Sam Merrill's 3-point shooting gave him a night never done before in Cleveland Cavaliers history

Before the game, Merrill was featured on the Cavaliers broadcast about being one of the key factors for the game. Considering the broadcast was also present on jumbotron, Merrill took it personally, using it as motivation for the historic performance. 

"I'm going to shoutout Brad, and John, whoever was doing the broadcast. Before the game, Sam saw the keys to the game: 'Get Sam cooking.' Sam was like, 'Have I been that bad?' So, I guess he wanted to prove a point to the broadcast tonight," Donovan Mitchell said about Merrill's motivation.

The Cavaliers will want to see this kind of performance again. Merrill won't be making nine threes every night, but he could continue to be one of the best sharpshooters in the league. The Cavaliers are much better now on offense, as Harden knows how to locate everyone on the floor.

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