How Cam Payne Absorbed a Punch for the Sixers

PHILADELPHIA — Cameron Payne was excited to see both of his dogs back in Philly.

Some days on the second leg of a back-to-back, he shoots. Other times, he doesn't.

On Tuesday, he decided to get some extra sleep and spend time with his dogs.

For as light and energetic as Payne likes to keep things, he'd be lying if he said his own struggles with efficiency haven't crossed his mind.

As he went about his day and walked into work on Tuesday night, he had no feeling for what his night had in store.

"Nah, honestly, nah. I wasn't expecting that. But I'm thankful for it. I know yesterday I was talking about being efficient. And I came out and I was very efficient. So that's big time, man. God answered my prayers, man. So that was huge," Payne told reporters after the Sixers' victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.

Expecting what, exactly?

Oh, becoming the first player in Sixers history to make eight 3s in a game without a miss.

Becoming the first Sixer ever to go for at least 30 points and 10 assists off the bench in a single game.

Payne is the first Sixer this season to score at least 30 points off the bench.

"It's crazy. My initial reaction is just like, 'Man, that's crazy. Tyrese ain't did that s--t? But honestly, I don't know, I just feel like, 'Finally!' I know I've been getting in my work, getting in my shots," Payne told reporters after scoring a career-high 32 points.

"I'm just like, 'Finally, man!' Like, hopefully I'm turning this corner, getting back to how I normally play."

"8-for-8, OK, that's really good. That's a little bit special. But he's kind of capable of doing that. When he gets going, you guys remember he has some nights where he'll make four out of five. He's a little streaky that way," Nick Nurse added.

perfection from three. 👌

32 PTS | 10 AST | 8-8 3PT @PALottery pic.twitter.com/94CEY8Ba1V
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 11, 2026

Payne found such a rhythm that the Sixers couldn't even get fully into their actions for him before the veteran guard hoisted up some of his attempts.

"But when he gets rolling, he can do that. Obviously he was really feeling it because a couple of those were really deep. We were running a little sweeping double screen set for him and he wasn't even in the play hardly on one or two of them. Pulled behind them and made them," Nurse said.

"The crazy part, I really wasn't in that kind of vibe. I really wanted to win the game. I just took the shots when I got the opportunity because I really wasn't thirsty, like trying to constantly go get it and shoot 3s," Payne added.

"I kind of just let them come to me and I just kind of played my game."

It couldn't have come at a better time.

Some 1,200 miles away from Kaseya Center in Miami, where Bam Adebayo was in the midst of passing Kobe Bryant for the second most points scored in a game in NBA history, the Sixers' season was collapsing right before their very eyes.

Their two-game losing streak was threatening to grow to three as the severely-undermanned and tanking Grizzlies pushed their lead to 14 points with two-and-a-half minutes to play in the third quarter.

Philadelphia outscored Memphis, 56-32, from that moment on.

"I don't know, but I think it is as simple as [making adjustments]. We have the game plan. It's up to us. The coaches do a good job of making sure that we go over the game plan multiple times throughout the day. They send us film. They send us clips. Coaches pull all of us aside individually or together. Just tell us what we need to do. That's up to us to go do it and execute it for 48 minutes," Kelly Oubre Jr. said after the win.

Oubre noted that Memphis' unorthodox style presented a bit of a curveball. The Grizzlies went very small, deploying lineups of mostly guards and forwards.

"But we were able to just be wiry and be on a string. Even when they went on their run. We had to stop the 3 ball and actually guard our man. A big part of it was just guarding our own man and make sure they don't collapse the defense for 3s," Oubre added.

"But I think we switched that up a little bit. We got more physical and we kind of settled into the game. We were able to follow the game plan in the end."

A loss would've implied a four-game losing streak, the severely-undermanned Sixers traveling to Detroit for a date with the East-leading Pistons on Thursday.

The Sixers have slipped into the Play-In tournament in the last couple days. A loss would've further cemented their standing there, and a string of wins wasn't exactly in sight if Philadelphia didn't find a way to pull this one out.

And then, a Louisville Slugger to the gut.

Tyrese Maxey will miss at least three weeks with a tendon injury in the small finger on his right hand, the Sixers announced just a few minutes before tip-off.

"It sucks, but hopefully we got other guys coming back soon. But it definitely sucks. When he went down in Atlanta, I broke a finger before so I saw his reaction and he was just kind of stunned. So I kind of felt like it was a little bad," Payne said of the news about Maxey.

"But we got to stay ready. Everybody got to stay ready. Like I said, obviously it sucks to lose a guy like him. But we got other guys on the team that can make plays. We just got to keep getting better together and find a way to win games."

Nurse had not spoken to the team about the Maxey news as of his postgame media availability.

Payne checked in with three minutes and 23 seconds remaining in the first quarter. His goal was to change the game coming off the bench.

He scored 16 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting in 11:36 of play in the first half.

Payne scored 16 points on 4-for-5 shooting in 18:38 in the second half.

"It kind of felt good. I feel like I'm good enough to play in this league. So that's really a good monkey off my back to show people that I'm good enough," Payne said.

"But like I said last night, I need to be more consistent and be more efficient every single night."

But perhaps no sequence was more crucial than Payne's defense in the middle of the fourth quarter.

Ty Jerome hit a jab-stepping fadeaway corner 3 over Oubre to give Memphis an eight-point lead with 9:36 to play.

Then came Payne's only miss of the night: A layup through contact on a baseline drive to his right.

The Sixers had momentum after a strong close to the third quarter. Another Grizzlies 3 would've put the Sixers five points back in the hole from where they started the fourth quarter. It would've nearly erased all the momentum they built over the last several minutes of action.

Payne wasn't going to let that happen.

Payne steal ➡️ Kelly lay pic.twitter.com/zNYog9HEpl
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 11, 2026

It prevented a swing at a critical juncture of the game.

"Honestly, man, you're not really thinking about stats and things like that. I was thinking about winning the game. We needed a stop. We needed to put stops together. So I wanted to do something, like I think I got a charge right after that, too," Payne said of his defensive playmaking in the fourth quarter.

"I don't know, man, playing the game the right way sometimes falls into your hands and having good nights. Just keep playing the right way, play for your team, play to win."

Even as Payne lined up 3 after 3 in that heroic fourth quarter, the one thing he pushed for most was his 10th assist. Payne sought to get his feet in the paint and spray the ball around the floor.

He racked up 13 points and five assists in 12 minutes.

Payne was happy to throw some respect Adebayo's way after the game. But, as far as he was concerned, it was not Adebayo's night.

"I was worried about Cam Payne, honestly. I was like, 'Man, Bam can't take my night. Shout out to Bam, though. I'm a big-time Kobe fan, so that's huge for someone to score that many points in a game. But I'm taking it, man. This is my night. March 10, this is all me," Payne said.

Even if it lasts only until Thursday, the resilient Sixers took a punch, didn't feel sorry for themselves and responded with the only thing that matters—another tick mark in the 'win' column.