76ers’ VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey lead victory in Game 2 against Celtics
BOSTON — VJ Edgecombe recorded 30 points and 10 rebounds while enduring discomfort after a significant fall early in the contest, and Tyrese Maxey added 29 points as the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics 111-97 on Tuesday night, leveling their playoff series at one game each.
Edgecombe made six of the 76ers’ 19 three-pointers. At 20 years and 265 days old, he set the record as the youngest player in NBA history to achieve 30 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff game, surpassing Magic Johnson, who was 20 years and 276 days old during his iconic 42-point, 15-rebound performance in Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals. Johnson notably started that game at center in place of an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Edgecombe is also the first rookie to record 30 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff game since Tim Duncan achieved 33 points and 10 rebounds in Game 1 of the 1998 Western Conference semifinals against the Jazz.
Maxey contributed nine assists as Philadelphia rebounded after suffering a significant loss of 123-91 in Game 1.
“This is who we are. Game 1 was not who we are,” Maxey stated following Tuesday’s match.
The 76ers were listed as 13.5-point underdogs at DraftKings Sportsbook, marking this as their largest upset victory in any game since January 29, 2005 (+13.5 at Mavericks), and their most significant upset win in a playoff game in the last 35 years.
The series will move to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Friday.
The Celtics narrowed a seven-point deficit at the beginning of the fourth quarter to 91-89 before an 11-0 run allowed the 76ers to regain a 102-89 lead with just over four minutes remaining. The Celtics removed their starters with a little more than a minute left in the game.
Jaylen Brown topped the Celtics with 36 points, while Jayson Tatum contributed 19 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists.
After facing challenges in Game 1, the 76ers required more from Maxey and Edgecombe, and they delivered, with the duo leading a team that shot 47.8% from the field, including 19-of-39 from beyond the arc.
Boston managed only 13-of-47 from the three-point range and shot 39.3% from the field overall, while committing 13 turnovers that resulted in 16 points for the 76ers.
Philadelphia, again without center Joel Embiid for Game 2 as he continues his strength and conditioning regimen following an appendectomy on April 9, saw Edgecombe briefly exit the game twice for treatment on Tuesday.
Edgecombe left the court visibly in pain and went directly to the locker room for care during both the first and third quarters.
He returned each time and continued to score, helping the 76ers establish a lead of as much as 13 points in the third quarter.
The intensity remained high throughout the game.
This peaked in the early moments when Brown received a technical foul following his powerful one-handed dunk over Adem Bona that sent the 76ers’ big man to the floor.
Replays seemed to indicate that Brown’s momentum after the dunk led to contact with Bona, who fell to the ground, leaving Brown hovering above him.
However, referee Marc Davis did not view it that way and assessed Brown with the technical foul.
ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
