Quentin Grimes got his NBA start in New York and became a well-liked, respected contributor for the Knicks in his three-plus seasons with them.
On Wednesday, he paid his respect by slicing up his old team like a Thanksgiving turkey.
Grimes pestered the Knicks at both ends of the court as the Mavericks got a major boost from their new energizer and powered away to a 129-114 victory at American Airlines Center.
It wasn’t a massive numbers night for Grimes, although he did finish with 21 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal.
But it was the team-best plus-16 that the Mavericks enjoyed when Grimes was on the court that stood out. And his gritty defense that set a nasty tone in the first half when the Mavericks jumped to a 46-22 lead and the Knicks simply could not find a way to get the ball in the basket.
“I didn’t really have extra juice,” Grime said of playing his former teammates. “It’s just kind of how things worked. I’m pretty familiar with their scheme and it was good to go out and get a good win. I’m getting real comfortable. Whenever somebody goes down, it’s more opportunity for us to have a bigger role.”
P.J. Washington, who flirted with a triple-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, was a bit more forthcoming on how Grimes probably felt about playing his former team.
“I’m excited for him. He had a great game,” Washington said. “Obviously, you want everybody to have a great game against their old team. He was being aggressive and we need this from him every night. A great confidence booster for him and everybody else as well.”
Grimes was starting for Luka Dončić, who remained sidelined with a sprained right wrist. Grimes stepped in with a beautiful mixture of offense and defense that flowed throughout the Mavericks, who won for the sixth time in seven games to improve to 11-8 on the season. The Knicks fell to 10-8.
Grimes was coming off an illness that is working its way through the locker room and kept him out of Monday’s game in Atlanta.
But he returned with a vengeance.
“Q was great coming off the illness,” coach Jason Kidd said. “We were a little worried about his energy level, but I think when you play your old team that’s something that gives you a little more juice.
“I thought he was great on the ball defensively and offensively, he was really, really good. As a starter, he’s been really, really good, so that gives us the flexibility that with injuries or sickness we can plug him in the starting lineup and continue to push forward.”
Grimes anchored a defense that limited the Knicks to 26.2 percent shooting in the first half, including only 2-of-16 from three-point land (12.5 percent).
One sequence in particular capsulized the night for Grimes when he hit a three-pointer, defended a Knicks’ possession on the other end and grabbed the rebound, then moments later crumpled OG Anunoby to the floor with a crossover move that netted an easy layup and a 38-20 Mavericks’ lead early in the second quarter.
After that, it was mostly window dressing for the Mavericks. The Knicks trailed by as much as 24 points and never got closer than 12 in the second half.
The Mavericks had four players top 20 points: Naji Marshall had 24, Kyrie Irving 23 and Spencer Dinwiddie 21 in addition to Grimes. Also, P.J. Washington had 19.
It wasn’t the first time Grimes has played against New York, which traded him last season to Detroit. One of the six games Grimes played for the Pistons after the deal was against New York. He scored 14 points.
But he was far more impactful on Wednesday. Grimes has found a new home in Dallas and has flourished so far as a jack-of-all-trades both coming off the bench and starting, as he did Wednesday.
Grimes made four of eight three-pointers against his former team.
Knicks’ coach Tom Thibodeau became a big fan of Grimes’ in his time with the Knicks. And he’s not surprised that the 6-5 Houston native has found quick success in Dallas.
“The big thing for Quentin is his health,” Thibodeau said. “He’s an elite defender. He can shoot the ball. He’s great at transition. He’s a really good player.
“Like with most players, each year he’s added experience. He’s a gym rat, so he’s always going to get better. He’s got to learn his teammates, but I think this is a great system for him. He’s a terrific player and a great person as well.”
It was a nationally televised matchup on ESPN between two well-regarded teams. The Knicks are one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference, much like the Mavericks are in the West.
The difference is that New York has one big hurdle in Boston, the reigning NBA champion. Other than the Celtics, no other team in the East is considered head and shoulders above the Knicks.
In the West, the Mavericks have several big dogs that they will have to fend off if they are to get back to the NBA Finals, where they fell to the Celtics in five games.
On this night, the first half was a prime example of the perceived difference in strength between the West and the East. Bear in mind that the Knicks won at Denver on Monday.
“For our team, this was a good win,” Kidd said. “We came off the road – these are the hardest games at times when you come off a road trip and have one game at home and then you go back on the road and start thinking ahead. Against a really good team, it’s a good win.”
It was a reunion of sorts for Jalen Brunson, the former Maverick who helped them to the Western Conference finals in 2022. And Brunson had a superb game with 37 points.
But this was Grimes’ night to shine. He finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal and was clearly the catalyst for the Mavericks, who were plus-16 when Grimes was on the floor. He led the team in that department.
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