Grimes retains playoff faith after driving Sixers past Warriors

Grimes had 44 points, bettering his previous high of 36 points while representing the New York Knicks against the Indiana Pacers in April 2023.

His terrific performance – which included a return of 12 points late in the second half as Philadelphia pulled clear – made up for the absence of Joel Embiid, who is out for the season with a left knee injury.

The Sixers had lost nine straight before Saturday's game, and their 21-38 record is only good enough for 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings.

But with 23 games still to play, the point guard believes they can still reach the postseason, saying: "We've still got a lot of games and a chance to make the play-in."

The Sixers had lost their previous game 110-105 to the Knicks, with a slow start costing them on that occasion as they outscored their opponents by 11 points in the second half.

"It was just about being aggressive, you know? I feel like in the last game in New York, I didn't come out as aggressive as I should have, and then we took the foot off the gas at the end," Grimes added.

"But the most important thing was just coming out here to be aggressive, trying to help my team get a win.

"I've had 20-point halves in the past, but I think in the first half, I ran off like 10 or 11 straight. I was like, 'Okay, I'm kind of feeling it tonight.'"

took care of business. @cryptocom pic.twitter.com/uiJjqn2bdG

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 2, 2025

Grimes is approaching one month in Philadelphia, having been traded by the Dallas Mavericks – alongside a second-round draft pick – for forward Celeb Martin in early February.

He averaged 10.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 22.8 minutes per game through 47 appearances for Dallas in 2024-25, but he feels Sixers coach Nick Nurse has already improved his game.

"I showed it a little bit in glimpses when I was at Dallas, but here, coach Nurse has given me a lot of credit," he said.

"Even when Tyrese [Maxey] goes out, to come in and fill that role, take care of the ball, until I'm getting a lot more comfortable with every game, getting back to that backup PG position.