The Philadelphia 76ers came from behind to defeat the Boston Celtics on Opening Night, 117-116. Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 40 points in the win, but it was the 76ers' rookie, VJ Edgecombe, who is drawing all of the attention.
Edgecombe finished the game with 34 points on an efficient 13-for-26 shooting. Incredibly, that is the third most points in an NBA rookie debut in history. He trails only Wilt Chamberlain (43 points in 1959) and Frank Selvy (35 points in 1954) on the all-time list, per ClutchPoints reporter and NBA Insider Brett Siegel.
The Sixers' rookie chipped in with seven rebounds, three assists, and a steal while knocking down five triples. It was quite the evening for the former Baylor Bear, who passed Allen Iverson with the most points in an NBA debut wearing a Sixers uniform.
From a big picture perspective, Philly pulled off a huge win in the TD Garden. Entering the fourth quarter, the 76ers trailed the Celtics 86-75 and were down 13 in the final stanza. But Maxey took the game over in the fourth.
He opened the quarter by knocking down three consecutive three-pointers, cutting into the deficit. He finished with 15 in the quarter as the Sixers held a late lead.
Ironically, Edgecombe had the chance to put the hammer down. But he missed two crucial free throws with nine seconds remaining, opening the door for the Celtics to have a shot at a buzzer-beater.
But Payton Pritchard missed a runner and then a jumper in the final seconds, sealing the win for Philadelphia.
The 76ers selected Edgecombe with the third overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. If Wednesday night is any indication, they might have found a star in the making.
