Highlighted by Bam Adebaya’s 83-point loss on the Washington Wizards the night before and Max Crosby’s trade from the Las Vegas Raiders to the Baltimore Ravens, the Philadelphia 76ers had a very exciting turn of events with none other than the recently added Cam Payne leading the team to a 139-129 win over the Minnesota Grizzlies.
Now granted, the Grizzlies are a 23-win team and didn’t play their only remaining Big 3 star, Ja Morant, against Nick Nurse’s team, but in this day and age, any 76ers win is tough to come by, especially in a game without Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey.
Fortunately, VJ Edgecombe was able to return from the injury suffered against Spurs earlier this month and he started the game alongside Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre, Adem Bona and Dominic Barlow and played 35 minutes in their victorious return.
After seeing the 76ers struggle to get much production from their non-star starters for most of the season, four of Philadelphia’s starters scored in double figures, with Barlow leading all starters with 11, Edgecombe with 21, Grimes with 23 and Oubre with 30 points. However, Oubre didn’t lead all 76ers in points, as in an absolute heater of a performance, Payne went on a nuclear attack off the bench, scoring 32 points in 30 minutes, while making all eight of his 3 pointers, all six of his free throws, and nine of his 10 shots from the field on his way to 30 apiece.
And the best part? Payne was not only slinging the ball, but sharing the love with his teammates, spending 10 dimes to record a double-double at +/= of +22.
Have the 76ers finally found a more team-friendly offensive approach where everyone eats? Does Maxi really bounce the ball that much, as many of his haters have claimed? After all, Payne isn’t going to do it shoot 8-8 from beyond the arc Every game, so it’s hard to say, but in this game, he certainly looked impressive, and was the kind of microwave bench scorer who can give the 76ers buckets with Jabari Walker in reserve.
Cam Payne can’t be stopped😤
8 out of 8 32 points on 3pts!
– ClutchPoints (@clutchpoints) 11 March 2026
#Cam #Payne #heater #leads #undermanned #Phillies #Grizzlies
