One NBA player unexpectedly had his “Like Mike” moment on Saturday night.
Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes detonated against the Golden State Warriors for a career-high 44 points. He finished with a batty shooting line of 18/24 (including six three-pointers) and also chipped in six rebounds and three steals to lift the struggling 76ers to an upset 126-119 win over the surging Warriors.
Grimes, a little-known fourth-year guard, was not on anybody’s bingo card as a potential 40-point scorer in an NBA game. Take a look at some of the reactions on X to Grimes’ surprise explosion.
Grimes’ 44-burger was totally unexpected for a variety of reasons. In his four NBA seasons, he had only ever even hit the 30-point mark three total times before (36 was Grimes’ previous career-high back in the 2022-23 campaign). Grimes had also scored just 40 points combined over his last four games for the 76ers and is mostly regarded as a journeyman to this point of his NBA career, especially since he is now on his fourth team in a little over one calendar year (after previously playing for New York, Detroit, and Dallas).
The out-of-body experience by Grimes helped the 76ers snap a nine-game losing streak. Star center Joel Embiid is officially done for the season, but apparently the city of Philadelphia has nothing to fear with Grimes at the helm. That monster outing even outdid the unexpected 41 that another obscure NBA player scored earlier this season.
