VJ Edgecombe scored a career-high 38 points in the Sixers’ comprehensive win over the Kings, leading Philadelphia to a 139-118 win over Boston, his first 30-goal game since the opener in Boston. Justin Edwards also set career highs with 32 points and seven three-pointers.
This is what I see.
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Leading performance by VJ Edgecombe
The short-handed 76ers played a near-perfect offense at the start of this game. Giving up 45 points in 12 minutes is a feat for any team, so while we can all complain about the Sacramento Kings, Philadelphia played perfect basketball and lit up the home team on their way to the West.
Luckily, VJ Edgecombe arrived ready to bounce back from a game that beat Sacramento. brutal Since Tyrese Maxey went down, Denver and Pedestrian have put on a show on the field. Maintaining his aggressiveness has been a minor issue for the Sixers lately, with Edgecombe starting slow and rarely letting himself out of funk, but he opened his account with a nice fake pass run and eased the nerves four or five minutes into the game.
From there, things just clicked. Edgecombe cashed in on a 3-pointer on an early possession, hitting his second 3-pointer in the right corner while defending the Kings, and relentlessly attacked the offensive glass, cutting down on the Sixers’ turnovers and creating some productive second-chance opportunities. It didn’t take long for Edgecombe to pull off one of the highlights of his rookie season: catching a lob from Edwards in transition and throwing the ball down with one hand.
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But the bulk of his work came through mid-range touches and finesse, and the rookie played with an exceptional level of poise and pace all night long. With his right-to-left pull-up jumper reminiscent of the legendary Chris Paul, multiple baseline turns that barely touched the net, free-throw line jumpers that were all cash, Edgecombe always had his shoulder against a rather stolid Kings defense. It’s a game he never attempted at Baylor, built on a shot his college coach effectively banned, but flashes of the style could eventually make him a star. He even paid tribute to DeMar DeRozan in the second half, pumping out a mid-range fake that drew a foul on Killian Hayes and Edgecombe calmly putting the ball in the backboard and draining a 3-pointer from the free throw line. It was a masterclass in the dark arts of basketball, and he would eventually add more to his bag.
Even though Nick Nurse gave him enough time to score a new career high, Edgecomb didn’t chase that at the expense of a good offense. Nurse put him right in the fourth quarter after a dominant three-point play early in the fourth quarter, and Edgecombe met multiple double plays from Sacramento, using Andre Drummond as his safety in the middle of the court and making all the right passes to separate the Kings. He scored 36 points and contributed 11 assists that night.
Edgecombe’s shooting differential is what it is right now, but as he further develops his skills, the ability to consistently get to his spots should make more sense than his current efficiency issues. Sometimes I wonder what his year would have been like on a different, younger team with lower expectations, but I do appreciate getting to see what he did with the Sixers throughout the year. This kid is going to have a lot of fun basketball games in his future.
strong support
Justin Edwards continued his stellar performance in Sacramento, with the second-year wing scoring 13 points early and completely controlling the offense for long stretches of the first quarter. Maybe he has a little extra motivation against another Philly player, Germantown’s Dekwan Plowden starting for Sacramento on Thursday, but this is more of the inside-out scoring we’ve seen from Edwards in the last week or so. An early pull-up three-pointer turned into another screen jumper, and then he followed up with a mid-range pull-up jumper and a beautiful reverse layup, which brought a special touch to the individual score.
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But that didn’t prepare anyone for his ensuing game-ending run, as Edwards ended up hitting seven 3-pointers and setting a career-high 32 points, increasingly ignoring any competition the Kings offered. On a team that’s absolutely hungry for shots, maybe the guy they needed in the rotation has been there all along and needs consistent playing time and a little rope to rediscover his old form.
Edwards’ recent breakout is certainly an example of how important (and finicky!) confidence is for role players in the NBA. He was impressive in a win over the Boston Celtics earlier this season, but on the fringe of stars like Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid, Edwards’ opportunities have been few and far between, and an 0/3 or 1/4 start will likely keep him on the bench for most of the night. Now that he doesn’t have to worry about that happening, he’s playing more freely, finding his groove, and the Sixers have designed his looks accordingly.
Then there’s Quentin Grimes, who’s had arguably the best start in the game. A 20-point halftime score to kick off the game in Sacramento was a classic example of a devastating first step, with Grimes operating at a speed the Kings simply couldn’t match. Grimes was the beneficiary of several offensive rebounds, and his decisiveness in those moments made it nearly impossible for the Kings to get in front of him, with Grimes skating to the rim over and over for two points.
Grimes’ decision-making was hard to swallow at times, but he had some great combinations in this game, including one with Andre Drummond, who had a nice giveaway moment in the first half by cutting into Grimes for a dunk. Using Grimes more as a cutter feels like a good fit for his talents, and he did a lot of great work off the ball against a pretty lethargic Kings team.
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The mandatory “But why?” part
I’m trying to understand that NBA coaches know and forget more about basketball than I will ever know. Then I watched Nick Nurse put together a Drummond/Watford/Grimes/Payne/Lowry lineup at the start of the second quarter and wondered if I should be so forgiving. I want you to take another look at that team and tell me what they should be doing well. Without even watching them play, your answer is “not much.”
Problems are everywhere. First of all, you’re too small, and you still can’t shoot, and the addition of Watford seems to make Lowry’s game meaningless from the start. Watching the 76ers use Lowry’s drive and kick to set up Watford’s catch-and-shoot 3-pointer, I almost threw the TV through the living room window, which would have been punishment for someone else’s incompetence on a piece of good equipment.
I absolutely hated adding Kyle Lowry to the roster in the first place, and it only adds insult to injury that he was asked to play a few minutes after Jared McCain was shipped off at the deadline, in part due to a “crowded backcourt” and the few opportunities they afforded him in Philadelphia. His performance in the first half was an absolute disaster. Still, we should expect the same from someone who is essentially an assistant coach literally Media Writer for Amazon Prime.
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this is one thing start The lineup was stupid in this quarter, and the starters got a few minutes of rest after losing 45 points to the opponent. I think what drove me the most was watching Nurse call a timeout after absorbing the Kings’ huge run in the first four minutes and then have the entire team sit on the floor without making any changes. The Kings went on a 17-2 run to take a halftime lead that was otherwise thoroughly outplayed in the game. Talk about giving more ammunition to those who are ready to see another coach take the lead.
Other things to note
— Andre Drummond somehow avoided finger-gun shooting on the Kings bench, which was a pretty funny moment. Additionally, he’s made more three-pointers this year than he has in the rest of his NBA career combined. It’s crazy.
— Doug Christie challenging the free throws that would have given Edgecombe his first 40-point game while his team struggled in the fourth quarter really bothered me. I get it, but fuck off, my friend!
