The Philadelphia 76ers secured a surprising 111-97 victory over Eastern Conference rivals, the Boston Celtics. The win, which levelled the first round series at one game apiece, was inspired by a historic performance from rookie VJ Edgecombe.
Edgecombe’s Record-Breaking Display
Edgecombe’s spectacular 30-point, 10-rebound performance marked a significant achievement. He became the first rookie since Tim Duncan in 1998 to reach that mark. Edgecombe is also the youngest player in NBA postseason history to put up those numbers, surpassing Magic Johnson’s previous record.
Tyrese Maxey contributed 29 points with key late shotmaking. Paul George added 19 points for the 76ers.
“I mean, [Edgecombe has] been impressive all season long,” said George. “I’ve been saying it all year long: He’s far surpassed being a rookie.”
76ers Overcome Celtics’ Runs
The 76ers, without star Joel Embiid (appendectomy), entered the game as 14.5-point underdogs. They managed to withstand everything the Celtics threw at them. This included a 16-0 first-quarter run that gave Boston a 26-13 lead, and a late push by the Celtics that narrowed the gap to 91-89 in the fourth quarter.
76ers coach Nick Nurse said, “I thought they were spectacular to start. And I just said, ‘Listen, you’re pretty solid down there. They’re great right now, and let’s believe that they’re not going to be this great the whole game and just hang in there.’ And our guys did.”
A Reversal of Fortunes
Edgecombe, who had a hard fall, played like a seasoned veteran. In their previous game, the 76ers struggled, going 4-for-23 from 3-point range and 8-for-37 on jumpers. In Tuesday’s game, the Celtics heavily employed a standard drop defensive coverage with their bigs, running it 69.7% of the time.
- Edgecombe scored 30 points and had 10 rebounds
- Maxey contributed 29 points
- George added 19 points
Edgecombe had the third-highest-scoring first game as a rookie when he scored 34 points in that season-opening win back in October.