VJ Edgecombe announced himself on the biggest stage with a 30-point, 10-rebound masterclass as the Philadelphia 76ers stunned the Boston Celtics 111-97 in Game 2 to level their first-round series at 1-1.
It was the first time a rookie posted those numbers in a playoff game since Tim Duncan in 1998, and it made Edgecombe the youngest player in NBA postseason history to achieve the feat, surpassing Magic Johnson.
The performance was all the more remarkable given the circumstances. The 76ers came in as 14.5-point underdogs without Joel Embiid, who continues to recover from an emergency appendectomy and had been knocked out in Game 1.
Boston led 26-13 after a 16-0 run in the first quarter and still cut the deficit to two points in the fourth quarter before Tyrese Maxey ended the contest with back-to-back 3-pointers.
Edgecombe finished 6 of 10 from 3-point range, and Maxey added 29 points, and the two combined for 59. The 76ers were 19 of 39 from deep as a team after going 4 of 23 in Game 1.
Paul George, who added 19 points, could not hide his admiration for his young teammate.
“When you think about it, how he started his first NBA game here in this building, and I’m sure he was in a small percentage, or a small group of players that did what he did on opening night, and then put together an entire season and got to this point where he’s showing who he is and his abilities. I’ve been saying it all year: He’s far surpassed being a rookie.”
Edgecombe, reflecting on the performance, added: “We knew where we were going to take the shots, where the help was going to be. So you have to give credit to my teammates for continuing to trust each other. Everyone can make a play on the court, so we continued to trust each other and I was in the spot and they wanted me to shoot the ball. It wouldn’t have been right if I hadn’t shot the ball.”
Jaylen Brown led Boston with 36 points and Tatum had 19 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, but the Celtics finished 13 of 50 from 3-point range. Game three is Friday night in Philadelphia.
Lakers take 2-0 lead as Smart smothers Durant
The Los Angeles Lakers took a 2-0 lead against the Houston Rockets with a 101-94 victory, a game defined by Marcus Smart’s all-around brilliance in Kevin Durant’s return.
Durant, who had missed Game 1 with a right knee injury, scored 23 points in his return but struggled with nine turnovers (the worst of his playoff career) and went 1 for 3 with three turnovers in the 18 possessions in which Smart was his primary defender.
Smart finished with 25 points and made 8 of 13 shots, including five 3-pointers, and had five steals.
LeBron James led the Lakers with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and was full of praise for Smart’s impact, both in this game and on the group as a whole.
“He’s not afraid of the moment. He’s always been assigned some of the best players to ever play the game in his career. So to have someone like that, he brings a lot of composure to our team. Especially when we’re down (I hate to beat a dead horse, but they’re two big horses) with AR.” [Austin Reaves] and luka [Doncic] outside. So to have that means a lot to our club.”
Luke Kennard added 23 points after his 27 in Game 1. Houston cut a 15-point deficit to five with less than three minutes left before Smart hit a fifth 3-pointer of the night to settle the outcome.
Wembanyama enters concussion protocol
The biggest concern of the night came in San Antonio, where Victor Wembanyama was knocked out of Game 2 in the second quarter after a hard fall while driving to the basket, with Jrue Holiday defending. The Spurs confirmed that he had entered concussion protocol and would not return.
The Portland Trail Blazers made the most of his absence. Scoot Henderson recorded a playoff career-high 31 points to lead the Blazers to a 106-103 comeback, erasing a 14-point deficit to level the series at 1-1.
