Quentin Grimes had 24 points off the bench and drilled a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 15 seconds left on Saturday, helping the Philadelphia 76ers rally for a 125-121 victory over the visiting Charlotte Hornets.
After trailing by 10 points with less than six minutes left, the 76ers finished the game on a 23-9 run. Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 28 points and nine assists, while Joel Embiid added 20 points. Kelly Oubre Jr. chipped in 19, followed by VJ Edgecombe’s 15. Andre Drummond led all players with 13 rebounds, as Philadelphia won its second straight to open the season.
Lamelo Ball had 27 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for Charlotte, while Collin Sexton added 21 points and Miles Bridges finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Rookies Ryan Kalkbrenner and Kon Knueppel scored 14 points apiece, while Sion James had 10 points off the bench for the Hornets.
With the score tied at 75 midway through the third, Bridges’ 3-pointer and Kalkbrenner’s dunk started an 11-1 Charlotte run.
Sexton found Kalkbrenner for a layup with 11 seconds left in the third, sending the Hornets into the final quarter with a 96-86 advantage.
Philadelphia trimmed its deficit to three with just over eight minutes left, but Kalkbrenner’s consecutive baskets extended the Charlotte lead to 108-101 at the 7:08 mark. The margin grew to 10 on Ball’s lob to Bridges with 5:42 remaining.
Another Kalkbrenner dunk put the Hornets ahead by seven, but Drummond bookended an 8-0 Philadelphia run with a hook shot and a dunk, as the 76ers grabbed a 117-116 lead with 2:13 left.
Ball’s three straight points were followed by Maxey’s mid-range jumper, knotting the score at 119 with 1:02 left.
After Sexton’s 3-pointer gave Charlotte a 9-8 lead in the first, Maxey and Edgecombe each hit triples to begin Philadelphia’s 10-0 run.
Grimes scored five straight to give the 76ers a 10-point advantage with 45 seconds left in the first quarter before Tidjane Salaun’s 3-pointer trimmed the Hornets’ deficit to 36-29 entering the second.
Grimes’ four-point play extended Philadelphia’s lead to 50-39 with 8:21 left in the second quarter, before Ball’s 5-0 run and Sexton’s 3-pointer pulled the Hornets within three.
James drilled a triple and Knueppel’s layup knotted the score at 58, but Grimes’ fourth 3-pointer of the opening half gave the 76ers a three-point halftime edge.
