The Dallas Mavericks have now won eight of their last nine games, picking up a 137-131 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night. Luka Doncic returned to play while Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, Dereck Lively II, and Dante Exum. With that many players missing, other players have to step up.
No one has stepped up more recently than Quentin Grimes. He’s set a new season high in points in each of his last three games, including 28 points on Sunday against Portland. In the process of scoring a new season-high, Grimes also snagged five steals, a career-high for him.
Grimes’ previous career-high of four steals came in his rookie season while playing for the New York Knicks against the Toronto Raptors. He was always tabbed as a potential high-level 3&D guard, and we’d see it in spurts throughout his career.
That 3&D upside is a big reason the Mavericks targeted him while dumping the salary of Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Detroit Pistons this offseason. That cap space allowed them to make other moves, but they also believed Grimes could be a valuable member of the rotation. He’s proved that over his last ten games, helping Dallas stay afloat as a spot starter with injuries to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
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