This is what I saw.
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A dominant performance from VJ Edgecombe
The shorthanded Sixers put together a near-perfect quarter on offense to start this game. Losing 45 points in 12 minutes is a feat against any team, so while we can all complain about it being the Sacramento Kings, Philadelphia played perfect basketball and lit up the home team to finally make it to their trip west.
Fortunately, VJ Edgecombe arrived ready to give Sacramento a beating, bouncing back from a brutal showing in Denver and a stretch of pedestrian shooting since Tyrese Maxey fell. Keeping it aggressive has been less of an issue for the Sixers lately, with Edgecombe starting slow and rarely coming out of the woods, but he opened his account with a slick fake pass rusher and calmed nerves four or five minutes into this game.
From there, everything continued. Edgecombe hit a 3-pointer early in the drive and cashed in, hitting his second 3-pointer on a blown coverage for the Kings in the right corner and was relentless in attacking the offensive glass, knocking down Sixers misses and creating some fruitful second-chance possessions. It wouldn’t take long for Edgecombe to complete one of the highlights of his rookie season, rising to receive a lob from Edwards in transition and launching it one-handed.
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But most of his work was done with touch and finesse from the midrange, with the rookie operating with a special level of poise and pace there all night. He had a right-to-left pull-up reminiscent of the legendary Chris Paul, multiple baseline shifts that barely touched the net, and the free throw line jumper was all cash, with Edgecombe consistently squaring his shoulders against fairly apathetic Kings defenders. It was the kind of game he never would have tried to have at Baylor, based on a shot his college coach effectively banned, but a flash of the style that could eventually make him a star. He even had an ode to DeMar DeRozan in the second half, using a mid-range fake to draw a foul on Killian Hayes, with Edgecombe calmly taking the shot off the glass and converting the three-point play at the free throw line. It was a masterclass in the dark arts of basketball from a guy who will eventually add more scams to his bag.
Although Nick Nurse gave him plenty of time to achieve his new career-high in points, it didn’t seem like Edgecombe was chasing it at the expense of a good offense. With Nurse letting it roll until the start of the fourth quarter after a dominant third, Edgecombe met repeated Sacramento doubles and made all the right passes to defeat the Kings, using Andre Drummond as his safe pair of hands in the middle of the court. He managed to rack up 11 assists to complete the 36-point night.
Edgecombe’s shot variation is what it is for now, but as he develops his skills further, the ability to consistently get to his points should be more significant than his current efficiency issues. I sometimes wonder what his year would have been like on a different, younger team with lower expectations, but I’m grateful to have watched his exploits in Sixers colors all year. There’s a lot of fun basketball coming up for this kid.
Strong support
A very good run by Justin Edwards continued in Sacramento, with the second-year wing scoring 13 early points and completely controlling the offense for a long stretch of the first quarter. He might have had a little extra motivation against another Philly kid, with Germantown’s Daeqwon Plowden starting for Sacramento on Thursday, but this was more of the same inside-out scoring we’ve seen from Edwards over the last week. An early 3-point pull-up turned into another jumper off a screen, before he hit mid-range pull-ups and a gorgeous reverse layup, putting a special touch on an individual scoring streak.
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But that wouldn’t prepare anyone for the run he would make to close out the game, with Edwards ultimately making seven 3-pointers to set a new career-high 32 points, increasingly ignoring any competition the Kings offered. On a team absolutely desperate for some shooting, maybe the guy they needed in the rotation was there all along, needing consistent minutes and some rope to rediscover his old form.
This recent development by Edwards is certainly an example of how important (and how finicky!) confidence is for NBA role players. He had a net-scorching performance to beat the Boston Celtics earlier this season, but while operating on the fringes around stars like Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid, Edwards’ opportunities have been few and far between, with a 0/3 or 1/4 start from the field likely condemning him to the bench for most of the night. With no fear of that happening right now, he’s playing more freely and finding his rhythm, and the Sixers have designed looks for him accordingly.
And then there’s Quentin Grimes, who arguably had the best start to the game of all. Unleashing a 20-point half on Sacramento to open the game was a classic example of first-step devastation, Grimes operating at a speed the Kings simply couldn’t match. Grimes was the beneficiary of some offensive rebound kicks, and his decisiveness in those moments made it nearly impossible for the Kings to get in front of him, with Grimes sliding to the rim time and time again to earn two points.
Grimes’ decision-making can be hard to live with at times, but he made some excellent combination plays in this one, including with Andre Drummond, who had a nice give-and-take moment with Grimes cutting in for a slam in the first half. Using Grimes more as a cutter seems like a natural fit for his talent, and he did an excellent job operating off the ball against a fairly sleepy Kings team.
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The obligatory “But why?” section
I try to understand that NBA coaches have learned and forgotten more about basketball than I have ever known. Then I watch Nick Nurse put a Drummond/Watford/Grimes/Payne/Lowry lineup on the field to open the second quarter and wonder if I should be so lenient. I want you to look at that group again and tell me what they’re supposed to do right. “Not much” would be your answer without even seeing them play.
Problems are everywhere. You’re too small and still can’t shoot to begin with, and Watford’s inclusion seems to make playing Lowry pointless in the first place. Watching the Sixers score a Lowry drive and kick for a Watford three-pointer almost made me throw my TV out of my living room window, which would have been punishing a good team for someone else’s ineptitude.
First of all, I’ve really hated having Kyle Lowry on the roster, and to add insult to injury, he’s being asked to play minutes after Jared McCain was sent packing at the deadline, due in part to the “crowded backcourt” and the few opportunities they have for him in Philly. It was an absolute disaster in its first half. Still, we shouldn’t expect anything less from a guy who’s basically an assistant coach and literally Amazon Prime media contributor.
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and one thing is begin the fourth with a silly lineup, giving the starters a full few minutes of rest after losing 45 points to the other team. I think what drove me crazy the most was seeing the nurse call a timeout after absorbing a big Kings run in the first four minutes and leaving the entire group on the court without a single substitution. The Kings went on a 17-2 run and took the lead in a half in which they were otherwise completely outplayed. Let’s talk about giving more ammunition to people who are ready to see a different coach in the top seat.
Other notes
— Andre Drummond somehow avoided a finger-shooting coach on the Kings bench, which was a really fun moment. Additionally, he has now made more three-pointers this year than in the rest of his NBA career combined. Really crazy.
– Doug Christie challenging free throws that would have given Edgecombe its first 40-point game with his team being attacked in the fourth really grinds my gears. I get it, but also, fuck you, dude!