CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers feature a guard-heavy roster as they have guys can take games over from the perimeter. They saw a glimpse of what they can do in Wednesday’s 117-116 season-opening win over the Boston Celtics on the road.
Tyrese Maxey put up 40 points, VJ Edgecombe had 34, and Quentin Grimes had big plays in the fourth as coach Nick Nurse turned to a 3-guard lineup.
Grimes finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists off the bench, but seven of those 10 came in the fourth quarter. He knocked down two huge triples in the final frame and made big plays on the glass and with his passing. It was a show of resiliency that the Sixers needed from him.
“You got to find ways to win,” said Grimes on Friday at practice. “You never have great nights all the time. You gotta go out there and make an impact on winning and I thought I did that down the stretch.”
He certainly did late in Boston. He knocked down a triple to cut a 9-point deficit to six and then came up with a big defensive rebound leading to the Kelly Oubre Jr. go-ahead 3-pointer. That’s a great showing for Grimes, and he did it playing next to Maxey and Edgecombe in a quicker 3-guard lineup that Philadelphia wants to build and grow.
“I mean, three guys that can make plays for each other or a teammate,” Grimes said of having the three out on the floor. “Having us is a premium, you know what I mean? Three guards that can all handle the ball, run pick-and-roll, shoot, and just make plays is definitely a premium in this league, for sure.”
The Sixers will undoubtedly go to the 3-guard lineups again in the future. It’s something that needs to grow and be at a high level when considering the talent on the roster at the moment. Grimes is going to be a big part of what this team wants to do and the success they intend on having.