3 Observations: Grimes’ Late 3-Pointer Pushes 76ers to Comeback Win Over Hornets

It was not always pretty, but the Philadelphia 76ers came away with a win in their home opener. The Sixers defeated the Charlotte Hornets 125-121 on Saturday night, moving to 2-0 on the season.

Tyrese Maxey finished with 28 points, six rebounds and nine assists. Joel Embiid totaled 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go with two rebounds, four assists and two steals. Quentin Grimes scored 24 points off the bench. V.J. Edgecombe followed up his stellar rookie debut with 15 points, six rebounds, eight assists, three steals and a block.

Paul George (left knee surgery recovery), Jared McCain (right thumb surgery recovery) and Trendon Watford (left hamstring tightness) all remained out of the lineup for the Sixers. Dominick Barlow received the start at power forward but was forced to leave the game at halftime due to a right elbow laceration.

Charlotte was led by LaMelo Ball’s 27 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Collin Sexton finished with 21 points and seven assists. The Hornets were playing without Grant Williams (right knee surgery) and Josh Green (left shoulder surgery). Brandon Miller left the game early with left shoulder soreness.

The Sixers next take on the Orlando Magic on Monday night. Here are three observations from the win over the Hornets:

Embiid Recovers From Quiet Opening Night Performance

After scoring just four points in the season opener, Embiid took no time at all to make his presence felt against the Hornets. He got the scoring started for the Sixers by knocking down a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Embiid went on to score nine points in the opening quarter. The manner in which he scored, mixing in a few 3-pointers with some confident drives to the basket, was a key step up from the way he played against the Celtics.

Embiid’s more aggressive style of play forced Charlotte’s starting center Ryan Kalkbrenner into early foul trouble. In the season opener, Embiid looked like he was a step slow and unwilling to mix it up in the paint. It was a completely different story against the Hornets.

Even when Embiid was not scoring, the Sixers were using him as the hub of the offense. Philadelphia perfectly executed the dribble hand-off, using Embiid as the ball handler, to generate multiple open 3-pointers. Embiid also made a beautiful alley-oop pass to Edgecombe in transition.

Embiid’s night ended after 20 minutes due to his continued minutes restriction. Despite Embiid’s better overall performance, there are a few areas he needs to clean up moving forward. He looked more engaged physically, but it largely did not come across defensively. However, Embiid looked much closer to his normal self than he did in the season opener. If the Sixers are going to make noise in the playoffs, they will need Embiid to continue to play the way he did against Charlotte.

Sixers Launch Barrage of 3-Pointers Against Charlotte

Maxey dropped a 40-point bomb against the Celtics to begin the season. He picked up right where he left off against Charlotte, draining one 3-pointer after another. He connected on four triples in the opening quarter of action, helping to power the Sixers to 36 points.

https://t.co/1SqzEluXQX pic.twitter.com/d8BqAbMAk3

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 26, 2025

When his jumper is falling like it has been to begin the season, Maxey is incredibly difficult to defend. Take the play above for example. The threat of Maxey’s speed and driving ability forced Kon Knueppel to turn his hips and move back towards the basket. Maxey stopped on a dime, stepped back to create space and drilled the 3-pointer.

The Hornets did a solid job adjusting their defense on Maxey after his explosive first quarter. They smothered him and prevented him from finding any open looks. However, Maxey used his passing ability to continue impacting the game. He had one of his better games as a passer, showcasing his improved floor vision and passing ability.

that Tyrese to VJ connection >>> pic.twitter.com/MWwePLXbay

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 26, 2025

Maxey was not the only Sixers guard to have a productive game against the Hornets. Grimes, after building some momentum with a strong fourth quarter against Boston, gave the Sixers’ offense a major boost off the bench. He joined in the team’s 3-point barrage, draining five of his eight shots from long distance. It took a few quarters for Grimes to find his rhythm, but he is back to being one of the team’s top offensive contributors. He capped off a strong performance by draining the game-winning 3-pointer with 15 seconds remaining.

it’s LOUD in South Philly y’all pic.twitter.com/l91gmySjSK

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 26, 2025

The Sixers shot the lights out, knocking down 18 of their 39 attempts from beyond the arc. They received contributions from up and down the lineup, including having four different players make three or more shots from long distance. Their success from beyond the arc was one of the key reasons why they were able to come away with the win.

Bench Contributions Help Sixers Battle Back, Overcome Poor Defensive Effort

Philadelphia put on a clinic on how to play poor defense against the Hornets. Their perimeter defense was lacking for the entirety of the contest, and Charlotte took full advantage. The Hornets feasted from the perimeter, resulting in three separate players making three or more shots from 3-point range. When the Hornets took the ball inside the arc, the Sixers’ defense was not much better. Outside of capitalizing on a few errant Charlotte passes, Philadelphia’s defense showed very little signs of life. They were outscored by Charlotte 38-25 in the third quarter.

In the first half, the Sixers were able to counter their poor defense with some red-hot outside shooting of their own. However, their success from beyond the arc did not last. Charlotte tightened up their perimeter defense and prevented the Sixers from getting out in transition.

The Sixers were able to battle back in the fourth quarter, and it involved receiving production from the non-star players. Kelly Oubre Jr. quietly scored an efficient 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, with nine of those points coming in the final frame. Justin Edwards did his best to inject some life into the offense off the bench, knocking down a couple of threes on his way to scoring nine points in 12 minutes.

With Embiid limited to just 20 minutes, Andre Drummond received a lot of time on the floor in the second half. He battled and gave the Sixers great minutes. In one of his better games in a Sixers uniform, Drummond totaled seven points, 13 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Considering Adem Bona’s struggles to begin the season, Drummond could potentially earn more backup center minutes moving forward.