How VJ Edgecombe Saved Sixers’ Season in Stunning Game 2 Win Over Celtics

Paul George looked at VJ Edgecombe in awe while the 20-year-old smirked back on Tuesday night.

George couldn’t help but stare during their post-game press conference as a reporter listed Edgecombe's accomplishments. He was the first rookie to record at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff game since Tim Duncan in 1998. Edgecombe and Magic Johnson are the only rookie guards in NBA history to do so.

All George could muster in response was, “You did that?”

“You did that?”😂

- @Yg_Trece pic.twitter.com/SccJrLDkoE
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 22, 2026

Edgecombe’s team-high 30 points and 10 rebounds guided the Sixers to a 111-97 win against the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals on Tuesday night. His perimeter shooting and on-ball scoring were too much for the Celtics to handle as Philadelphia enjoyed an offensive resurgence.

His intangibles weren’t too bad, either.

VJ EDGECOMBE TONIGHT:

30 POINTS
10 REBOUNDS
2 STEALS
12/20 FG
6/10 3PT

A YOUNG SUPERSTAR HAS BEEN BORN pic.twitter.com/CUulXjnBOQ
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 22, 2026

How Edgecombe solved Boston

Boston dared the Sixers to make three-pointers in Game 1 as it surrounded Tyrese Maxey on the move. The Sixers shot 17.4% from beyond the arc and suffered a 32-point beatdown.

The Celtics deployed the same strategy on Tuesday. Except this time, it didn’t work.

Sam Hauser primarily defended Edgecombe, but he routinely ignored him on the perimeter to provide gap help when Maxey probed out of a pick-and-roll. The 20-year-old made Boston pay for that approach by sinking multiple spot-up threes.

Edgecombe converted four of his six 3-pointers in the second quarter to help the Sixers outscore the Celtics by 11 en route to a 62-54 halftime lead. That was a testament to the rookie’s confidence. He did not look fazed after their Game 1 beatdown.

Edgecombe said that his main takeaway from the loss was that Philadelphia needed to match Boston’s intensity. He did exactly that on Tuesday.

The 20-year-old hit the dagger in the form of his sixth triple to push the Sixers’ advantage to 13 with just more than three minutes remaining in the game. He then winked at the NBC broadcast camera, creating an instantly iconic GIF.

make that 6 threes for the rookie: pic.twitter.com/jGOPS53FNf
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 22, 2026

Edgecombe also had success with the ball using the same approach the Celtics have against Philadelphia’s centers. Boston earned a living exposing Andre Drummond’s immobility and Adem Bona’s mental lapses out of pick-and-rolls, whether it was Jaylen Brown’s pull-up jumpers or Neemias Queta diving to the rim. So, the 20-year-old did the same.

He hunted Queta and Nikola Vucevic in drop coverage and maneuvered to his spots at the rim and elbow as if he were in Year 10 instead of his first. Edgecombe scored 11 points off pick-and-rolls, a strategy that the Sixers could build on entering Game 3 on Friday.

“[Edgecombe is] a ball player,” Brown said after Game 2. “He’s a rookie, but he can play.”

The rookie fronted the Sixers’ offensive improvements, between his perimeter shooting and on-ball skills. However, Philadelphia shooting 48.7% from the perimeter to Boston’s 26% is a discrepancy that may not happen again in this series.

The Sixers must stick to what worked on Tuesday. Edgecombe has proven to be the swing factor to their success.

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