Mar 1, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes (5) scores past Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (4) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Quentin Grimes scored a career-high 44 points as the Sixers held off the Golden State Warriors to snap a nine-game losing streak.
Here's what I saw from the young guys.
- Grimes had some excellent moments against a Warriors defense that was both spaced out and largely disengaged at the beginning of the game. He does not have much of a mind for playmaking, committing to shots well before doing so is necessary. He's not a primary ball-handler, although the Sixers will let him function as one from time to time. But, if you're not going to be much of a playmaker with the ball in your hands, you need to be a manipulator for yourself. Grimes excelled at that early in this game.
He didn't just settle for threes. His attempts at the rim weren't wild prayers. Grimes had the wherewithal to accept the game's pace and plan accordingly. He changed speeds to beat defenders to spots and create drives off swing passes, gliding to the rim for finishes against a sleepy interior defense.
- When Grimes did let it rip from beyond the arc, he finally got some air under the ball. He wasn't casting cheapies from the corners, either. Grimes was launching from the top of the key, willingly shooting off the catch and off the dribble. He punished Golden State's decisions to go under ball screens repeatedly, pulling up behind the pick and sniping from a step or two beyond the line. He was the primary reason Philadelphia held a 12-point lead at halftime despite Tyrese Maxey and Paul George combining for three points on 1-for-12 shooting in the first half.
- It was not, however, a good night of foul shooting for Grimes. 2-for-8 from the stripe, 18-for-24 from the field, 6-for-9 from three. Sizzling from everywhere except the foul line.
- Three fouls in about eight minutes of play in the first half. The price you pay for showing defensive upside as a rookie is getting some tricky on-ball assignments. Whether it was just running into ball-handlers who came screeching to halts or timing rotations poorly, Edwards got picked on a bit.
- He did dunk on Draymond Green on a backdoor cut along the baseline to open the fourth quarter. That will make for a nice photo.
- What did Jared Butler do to deserve the role of warming seats? It's not like he's received tons of opportunities to justify anything either way.
- This game was as 'together' as the Sixers have played in weeks. They knew what they were doing on both ends of the floor. Given the way they've lost shooters off the ball lately, I thought there was a real chance at a special, special night for Stephen Curry. He was his usual excellent self. But, the Sixers did an excellent job of not losing him. They bit on the occasional shot fake and went flying, as many others before them have done. They were so fixated on Curry at times that they lost cutters. But, this game was a continuation of what we saw in Wednesday's loss to the New York Knicks - a cohesive effort.
The Sixers (21-38) will host the Portland Trail Blazers (27-33) on Monday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., Eastern time. You can watch the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
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