Quentin Grimes Scores Season-High as 76ers Win Second Straight to Close Out Homestand Over Trail Blazers
Philadelphia 76ers' Quentin Grimes (5) goes up to shoot against Portland Trail Blazers' Toumani Camara during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 15, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
The 76ers finished the 2nd half of their homestand back-to-back against a team also fighting for their playoff lives, the Portland Trail Blazers. The Sixers’ role players came up huge, grabbing a huge 109-104 win to keep afloat in the playoff race before they head out West.
The Sixers would still be without their four main starters (Joel Embiid, Paul George, Kelly Oubre Jr., Tyrese Maxey) for the third straight game. That gave Quentin Grimes the opportunity to shine. It felt like a performance from a game last season, in which he was the leader of the offense. He scored his season high of 31 points tonight, after tying his season high of 28 on Saturday afternoon. Justin Edwards also added 21, and VJ Edgecombe had a double-double, scoring 18 and rebounding 12. Cam Payne and Dominick Barlow each had 11, with both playing 20 minutes.
The Sixers shot 3/25 from three Saturday. It looked like the same tonight, with them shooting 4/16 in the first half. They then shot 3/12 in the second half, finishing 7/25 from beyond-the-arc. What needs to improve most is the three-point shooting. 12% and 28% in the most recent two games won’t cut it.
The Blazers quickly started up 9-0 off two three-point plays from Donovan Clingan and a three from Jerami Grant, and then the Sixers were able to come right back to tie 14-14. Edwards banked a pair of threes, and both Barlow and Grimes both knocked down layups and dunks to contribute to the 9-0 run. The run ended at 13-0, when Jrue Holiday hit a three-pointer. The Sixers played some tough defense in the first quarter, with Portland having five turnovers. Edgecombe was able to block a three-pointer from Scoot Henderson, and Barlow and Grimes were able to steal the ball away for wide-open dunks, with Barlow’s pass going to Edwards. Trendon Watford was able to grab an offensive rebound off a missed Edgecombe three, and VJ slammed it in. Edgecombe then hit Grimes late in the quarter for an alley-oop slam. Despite all that, the Sixers only led by three at the end of the first quarter.
Both teams went back and forth, trading buckets for the first four minutes of the quarter before the Sixers called a timeout. Vit Krejci dropped two threes, and Payne responded with one of his own. The Trailblazers still continued to take advantage of the weak lineup, recording their third and-1 of the game so far. After the timeout, both teams traded threes with former Sixer Matisse Thybulle and Grimes knocking them down. The most impressive feat of the quarter was Scoot Henderson missing his three-pointer off the rim, with it landing on the top of the backboard. It remained close all the way till the end, with both teams playing fast and aggressively. At halftime, the Blazers led by one, with Toumani Camara grabbing a three-pointer with 38 seconds left as the last points of the quarter.
The third quarter started with the Sixers nailing two threes, each from Edgecombe and Barlow. He was then fouled vigorously by Clingan, but was okay. Edgecombe took issue with it, although Barlow washed it off. It was a strong start to the quarter. Edwards scored five points quickly, helping the Sixers go on a 7-0 run before the Blazers called a timeout. The Sixers continued their scoring run, extending it to 11-2, but the Blazers kept putting the game within reach, and the Sixers couldn’t fully break it open. It seemed like the Blazers downed a three every time after the Sixers scored via a layup. The Blazers scored late to close out on a tiny run, but the Sixers led by six after three. Edwards had nine points, the team shot 50% from the field, and won the third quarter, outscoring Portland 29-22.
The Blazers tied the game right back up to start the fourth, with threes coming from both Krejci and Deni Avdija, which was part of their 14-4 run that carried over from the third quarter. Watford scored a quick three to extend the lead up to seven, taking advantage of the Blazers not having made a field goal since the early threes. Grimes added another four on a floater and two free throws to extend the lead for Philadelphia to 11, part of a 13-2 run. Grimes just kept his scoring going, making four straight field goals. That was his 12th point of the quarter; it extended the Sixers’ lead to 14, and it was the 10th straight bucket for Philadelphia. But nothing can come pretty in South Philly. The Blazers went on another run, scoring 10 consecutive points before Edgecombe finally rolled a layup in. The Blazers were playing very fast, trying to force Sixers turnovers, while keeping the game within a two-possession margin. After Avdija missed one last shot, the Blazers refused to foul, and the Sixers won 109-103, improving to 11-3 in the second halves of their back-to-backs.
The Sixers will begin a West Coast road trip on Tuesday to face Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, with a 10:00 P.M. tip-off.
Andrew Glover
Andrew is in his first year covering sports for Philly Sports Reports. He is a podcaster and a digital content creator. Right now, he is in his second semester at Temple University pursuing a degree in Media Studies and Production. He has a certificate in Broadcast Journalism from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
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