BOSTON -- The Philadelphia 76ers received a bit of a scare in the first quarter of Tuesday's Game 2 matchup with the Boston Celtics. Already missing Joel Embiid, they could ill afford to lose anybody else in this series, let alone somebody like VJ Edgecombe.
The rookie took a hard fall in the opening quarter as he fell on his back and was not moving well. After playing a few more possessions, Edgecombe limped to the bench and to the locker room. He would return later in the first and then went on a heater in the second quarter as he had 16 points while knocking down four 3s to help the Sixers take control on the road.
Edgecombe then limped to the locker room again in the third quarter before returning, toughing it out, and helping the Sixers finish off the Celtics 111-97 to even their Round 1 series at 1-1.
"I just landed on my back, but I’m good," Edgecombe said after the win. "I was able to finish the game, so I’m good. That’s all I’ve got for you. I’m good. Ain’t nothing wrong with me. I’m good."
In the end, Edgecombe had a historic night as he became the first rookie to have 30 points and 10 rebounds in a game since the great Tim Duncan in 1998. He was able to produce at a high level as he shot 6-for-10 from deep compared to 0-for-5 in Game 1 as he, once again, found a way to bounce back. For a 20-year-old, he continues to impress at a high level, and his teammates and the coaching staff put faith in the rookie to be able to find a way to get the job done.
"I just try not to overthink it," the rookie explained. "I try not to put pressure on myself. Everyone else already putting pressure on us to perform. I try to not put pressure on myself. I’m around a great group of guys that also help me. Just keep instilling confidence in me. Just to keep going, keep going, regardless of who's on the floor, who's not on the floor. So, it's just a big shoutout to my teammates and my coaches."
It's just impressive to see Edgecombe continue to play well on the game's biggest stages. He scored 34 points in this same building back on opening night on Oct. 22, so this is not a big surprise, but it's obvious that he watched the film, saw the shots he was getting in Game 1, got those same looks, and just knocked them down.
"I think we knew where the shots were going to come from," Edgecombe added. "I think we knew where we were going to get the shots from, where the help was going to be at. So, credit to my teammates. We kept trusting each other."
Trust. That's a big word in the NBA. It's super important to trust one another as a group and Edgecombe was a big beneficiary of the trust he has been able to build and earn with his teammates.
"Everyone can make a play on the court," the rookie finished. "So, we kept trusting each other, and I was in the spot, and they wanted me to shoot the ball, and it wasn’t going to be right if I didn’t shoot the ball. So, I had to shoot the ball, hit wide-open shots, try to get my teammates their assists from me."
The Celtics will inevitably come up with a new game plan for Game 3 on Friday, but if anything Edgecombe has done is any indication, he will be able to find a way to overcome all of that and produce.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers' VJ Edgecombe talks historic night in Game 2 win over Celtics