Edgecombe 30-10 powers 76ers to 111-97 stun of Celtics
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- VJ Edgecombe posted 30 points and 10 rebounds, the first rookie to reach those numbers in the playoffs since Tim Duncan in 1998 and the youngest ever to do so, surpassing Magic Johnson's previous mark.
- Philadelphia 76ers won 111-97 as 14.5-point underdogs, evening their first-round series with the Celtics after being "absolutely demolished" in Game 1, and did so without star center Joel Embiid.
- Tyrese Maxey added 29 points, including consecutive pull-up 3s with 6:25 left that pushed Philadelphia's lead to eight after Boston had cut it to 91-89.
- Philadelphia shot 19-for-39 from 3-point range (Edgecombe 6-for-10, Maxey 5-for-12) after going 4-for-23 in Game 1, exploiting a Boston drop coverage used 69.7% of the time — the third-highest rate in a playoff game since player tracking began in 2013-14.
- The Celtics shot 13-for-50 from 3, with Derrick White (2-for-10), Jayson Tatum (2-for-8) and Sam Hauser (2-for-8) combining to go 6-for-26; Jaylen Brown scored 36 and Tatum added 19 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists.
- Joel Embiid, sidelined since an appendectomy 12 days ago in Houston, will begin a strength and conditioning program Monday and stayed in Philadelphia rather than travel for Game 2.
- The Celtics have now lost six consecutive playoff series to the 76ers dating to 1982, and coach Nick Nurse credited his team for weathering a 16-0 first-quarter Boston run that produced a 26-13 lead.
Why it matters: A 14.5-point playoff underdog evened the series without Joel Embiid, and Boston has now dropped six straight playoff series to the 76ers dating to 1982. Philadelphia's 3-point shooting jumped from 4-for-23 in Game 1 to 19-for-39 in Game 2, and the series now shifts to South Philadelphia on Friday with Embiid's strength program beginning Monday.
