Justin Edwards’ hot shooting fuels Sixers’ comeback victory over Boston Celtics: ‘I’ve been waiting my turn’

Tyrese Maxey has a reputation for his early-morning workouts. But when he arrived at Xfinity Mobile Arena for Tuesday’s shootaround, Justin Edwards had already been on the court.

“Those little mental things, they mean something,” Maxey said of his second-year teammate. “I was really proud of him for being here.”

That diligence yielded Edwards’ best early-season performance by far — and one the Sixers needed in a 102-100 comeback victory over the Boston Celtics. The Philly native totaled a team-high 22 points — including a career-best 5 of 6 from three-point range — along with three rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes, 39 seconds minutes off the bench. Even Edwards’ one shot attempt that bounced off the rim could be playfully coined a “game-winning miss,” because teammate Kelly Oubre Jr. corralled the rebound for the go-ahead finish with 8.7 seconds to play before the Sixers’ final defensive stand.

“It shows that I’ve been waiting my turn,” Edwards said postgame, “and today was my day, honestly.”

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Entering Tuesday, Edwards had not totaled more than nine points or 19:05 in the season’s first 10 games. He didn’t even see the floor during Sunday’s loss to the Detroit Pistons, even though the Sixers were on the second night of a back-to-back and perimeter starters Maxey, Oubre, and VJ Edgecombe have logged heavy minutes.

But against the Celtics, Edwards got in the game late in the first quarter and quickly compiled nine points and two assists. He pulled down his team’s only two offensive rebounds before halftime.

Then Edwards was an instrumental part of the Sixers’ rally following their latest horrific third quarter.

Edwards’ steal and fastbreak dunk cut the Celtics’ lead to 85-82 with 8:18 remaining. He then buried three-pointers on three consecutive possessions, the last pushing the Sixers back ahead, 93-92, and prompting a Celtics timeout at the 4:40 mark. The 6-foot-7 wing also provided stout perimeter defense against a Celtics team with a bevy of high-volume long-range shooters, which Edwards and Maxey highlighted postgame.

“Obviously, when you get going, we leave you going,” coach Nick Nurse said of Edwards’ outing. “He hit some big ones. Got us back in the game, that’s for sure.”

Edwards could remain on the fringe of the Sixers’ rotation throughout the season, given his team’s roster makeup and fluctuating injury statuses.

Any spotty playing time, however, likely would not be because of a lack of confidence from Nurse. The coach has praised Edwards’ steadiness since he was unexpectedly thrust into playing time as an undrafted two-way rookie during the Sixers’ dreadful 2024-25 season, and averaged 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 44 games with 26 starts.

That faith from Nurse did not waver during the preseason, when Edwards shot an ugly 3-of-26 from the field in four exhibition games. During one practice about a month ago, Edwards recalled Nurse coming to him on the sideline and saying, “I’m not worried about you, and you shouldn’t be worried about yourself.”

“He’s not perfect, but he’s a really good, developing young player that I love,” Nurse said Tuesday. “When he has a bad game, it doesn’t even faze me because I love him.”

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After Edwards played only six seconds in the Sixers’ season-opening win at Boston, Maxey briefly saw Edwards flash frustration for the first time. By the next day, however, Edwards was back to his normal self, Maxey said. In less than three weeks, Edwards’ role had shifted from starting an Oct. 28 overtime win at the Washington Wizards to never seeing the floor in last week’s loss at the Chicago Bulls.

So Edwards has relied on purposeful preparation to stay ready, studying film and drilling the specific types of shots he likely will get in a game so “it’s like second nature to me.”

During one recent on-court session, Edwards recalled, assistant coach Rico Hines said Edwards needed to mentally “zone out” while aiming to make 20 out of 25 shot attempts from five spots on the floor.

That’s what happened during Tuesday’s fourth-quarter onslaught from beyond the arc, Edwards said.

“I guess that’s what [Hines] meant by it,” Edwards said. “I just was shooting and wasn’t even really thinking about it. … You telling me I hit three threes in a row, that’s my first time hearing about it because I didn’t even know I did that.”

But in the moment, the typically even-keeled Edwards unleashed a scream before heading back to the Sixers bench for a timeout.

“It gave me chills, low-key,” Edwards said, “then I had to snap back in.”

The reaction was reminiscent of how he got himself going as a high school and college player, Edwards said.

“You can ask my momma,” Edwards said, pointing toward the back of the news conference room. “She’s standing right there.”

When asked what he hollered, his mother, Ebony Twiggs, playfully chimed in with, “I know. But if he say, he gonna get a beating.”

How about the PG version?

“Let’s freaking go!” Edwards said.

That helped punctuate perhaps the most memorable night of Edwards’ young NBA career. Because even when he finally missed a shot, it turned out to be the Sixers’ “game-winning miss.”

“The work shows,” Maxey said of Edwards.