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Edgecombe lives up to ‘the lights' again, makes show-stopping Garden debut

Edgecombe lives up to ‘the lights' again, makes show-stopping Garden debut  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Nothing about VJ Edgecombe’s performance Friday night suggested he was awestruck or overwhelmed by playing at Madison Square Garden for the first time. 

If anything, perhaps Edgecombe thought his debut was a bit overdue. 

“It’s crazy,” he said the day prior when asked whether he’d ever played at the arena. “No, I haven’t. I was on the No. 1 team in New York and I didn’t get to play at MSG.”

The Long Island Lutheran high school product was everywhere you looked in the final minutes of the Sixers’ 116-107 win over the Knicks. His loud late-game contributions featured a pull-up jumper through contact, a fierce put-back dunk and extremely stingy defense on Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson. 

“It was amazing, man,” Edgecombe said of his first Garden experience. “It was everything I expected it to be. The fans … it was great, man. It was a good first game at the Garden for sure.”

After starting 2 for 8 from the field, Edgecombe made 8 of his last 10 shots and tallied 23 points. The 20-year-old now has six 20-point outings in the NBA, including three in a row. He’s up to 39.3 percent from three-point range and is averaging 15.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals.

Edgecombe was happy to have Tyrese Maxey on the floor with him again after his star teammate missed the last two games with an illness. 

Maxey’s past the point of being surprised by anything Edgecombe does in crunch time. 

“That’s just who he is,” Maxey said following a 30-point, nine-assist night. “We realized that Game 1. Yeah, you can do what you’re going to do in the preseason, practice and training camp, but when those lights come on, you just never know. And the lights came on and he came on with it.”

Time and again, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse has praised Edgecombe’s anticipation, intelligence and ability to do “a little bit of everything.”

His instincts seem to be sharpening with more NBA reps. Unlike many rookies, Edgecombe hasn’t been inclined to stop and think lately. 

“I just try to play hard,” he said. “That’s the main thing. I want to win. I’m diving on the floor, diving in the crowd. Whatever it takes for me to win, to be honest. I think last. I just go and do it.”

Across the board, the 15-11 Sixers appeared well-rested against a 19-8 Knicks team playing its third game in four days. Even with Joel Embiid sidelined (illness, right knee injury management) and Paul George going 2 for 10 from the field, the Sixers never faced a serious deficit and surged into the lead early in the fourth quarter. 

Plenty of role players gave Maxey and Edgecombe handy support.

Andre Drummond drilled a career-high three long-distance jumpers and posted a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double. Jared McCain scored 12 points off the bench and deservedly closed out the game. Justin Edwards knocked down two timely three-pointers in the second quarter, building on a big game Tuesday for the G League’s Delaware Blue Coats. 

“We were really debating over there,” Nurse said, “and that was one of the things I said: ‘I’m putting him in, man. He just scored 37 points the other night. He’s got to be feeling good. Let’s get him in there.’”

Ultimately, the youngest player on the court had a show-stopping Garden debut. 

He’s hungry for a lot for more of these nights, too. 

“I know I have a lot of work to do,” Edgecombe said. “I want to be the best player ever, so I’ve got a lot of work to do.”