VJ Edgecombe and Justin Edwards put on a show in Sacramento and the Sixers needed every bit of it
VJ Edgecombe and the Philadelphia 76ers went into Sacramento on Thursday night without Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, and Kelly Oubre Jr. and absolutely demolished the Kings 139-118.
It was not close. It was not supposed to be this fun and it was exactly the kind of night this team needed after getting routed in Denver on Tuesday.
VJ Edgecombe was the headliner.
Our 20-year-old rookie put up 38 points and 11 assists, shooting 16-for-27 from the field and adding seven rebounds. That is the second time in Sixers history a rookie has posted 35 or more points and 10 or more assists in the same game. The first was Allen Iverson. Let that land for a second.
VJ Edgecombe: 38 PTS | 7 REB | 11 AST | 2 STL
Justin Edwards had the other performance of the night. 32 points on 11-for-18 shooting, seven of eleven from three. That is a career high and it was not a fluke. The second-year wing has been developing quietly all season and Thursday was the loudest he has been yet.
Justin Edwards Catches Fire in Sacramento
Quentin Grimes added 27 points and seven assists and was especially sharp in the first half, pouring in 20 points over the first two quarters.
The Sixers led by nine at halftime and never really looked back.
The first quarter set the tone entirely. VJ Edgecombe and Justin Edwards both played the full period and combined for 25 points on 10-for-16 shooting.
VJ Edgecombe capped it with a buzzer-beating mid-range jumper to push the lead to 45-33. After going 9-for-41 from three in the blowout loss to Denver, the Sixers went 7-for-12 from deep in the first quarter alone. They also had zero turnovers in the opening period. Against a Kings team that is 18-53, sure, but zero turnovers is zero turnovers.
VJ Edgecombe’s mid-range game continues to be one of the more impressive things happening on this roster. The hang time, the body control, the ability to fade and glide and twist into shots that have no business going in. He makes it look routine and it is not routine at all for a 20-year-old in his first NBA season.
Embiid was upgraded from out to doubtful on Wednesday’s injury report which suggests a return is getting closer. He has now missed eleven straight games. According to sources, the Sixers might be holding Embiid out, even while healthy, as they await the return of both Maxey and Paul George. That clocks, and I would expect to have all three back on the court before the end of the month.
The Sixers finish the three-game road trip Saturday night in Utah against the Jazz. They are still sitting in a play-in seed for the playoffs, but it’s tight from No. 10 to No. 6.
The Sixers are a currently tied with the Heat and trailing the Magic (7) and Hawks (6) by a half game. A win against a bad Utah Jazz team would keep things on track before returning home to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.
Current Sixers Standings:
The grind continues but Thursday was a genuinely great night.
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