VJ Edgecombe and Justin Edwards relish sharing career performances in Sacramento: ‘I’m more excited for him’

SACRAMENTO — The first indication that Justin Edwards was primed for a special night occurred in Thursday’s opening 76 seconds, when he fired two three-pointers that went splash.

The first indication that VJ Edgecombe was primed for a special night occurred when he slithered to the right elbow for a jumper that beat the first-quarter buzzer, and 76ers assistant coach Rico Hines enthusiastically pointed at the rookie guard as he walked back to the bench.

Edwards and Edgecombe both hit multiple career marks in the Sixers’ 139-118 victory at the lowly Kings at Golden1 Center. Edgecombe totaled 38 points — his first time surpassing 30 since his historic NBA debut on opening night in Boston — along with 11 assists, becoming the fourth rookie in franchise history to record a 30-point, 10-assist game. Edwards added 32 points on 7-of-11 shooting from three-point range.

» READ MORE: VJ Edgecombe erupts for 38 points as the Sixers beat the Kings 139-118

Sharing their memorable performances was satisfying for the Sixers youngsters, who have already become “really close” in their first season as teammates, Edgecombe said. And they supplied the latest much-needed outbursts for the short-handed Sixers (38-32), who with Thursday’s victory now have the same record as the eighth-place Miami Heat and sit a half-game behind the seventh-place Orlando Magic and sixth-place Atlanta Hawks.

“I just care about winning,” Edgecombe said from his locker after the game, “and it took tonight for me to score [and] make plays for my teammates. I know I had 30, but ‘JE’ had 30, also. … I’m more excited for him than I am for me, just because I know the ups and downs he’s been going through [this season].”

It’s fitting that one of Thursday’s highlights was a direct connection between those teammates, when Edwards lofted a lob to Edgecombe for a one-handed alley-oop slam.

Yet their mutual respect is rooted in something far less flashy: their behind-the-scenes work ethic. Whenever Edwards is getting extra player development work at the practice facility, he said Edgecombe is seemingly always there, too.

“ … And I’m one of the guys that works out a lot,” Edwards added.

Edgecombe and Edwards joined the growing cast of Sixers who have upped their statistical production in recent games, with starters Tyrese Maxey (pinkie tendon sprain), Joel Embiid (oblique strain), Kelly Oubre Jr. (elbow sprain), and Paul George (suspension) all still sidelined.

In a win last week over the Memphis Grizzlies, veteran reserve guard Cameron Payne went 8-for-8 from three-point range and Oubre recorded a season-high 30 points and 12 rebounds before sustaining his injury. Quentin Grimes, meanwhile, scored a season-high 31 points in Sunday’s home victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

» READ MORE: VJ Edgecombe and Justin Edwards have career nights and other things we leaned in Sixers’ win at the Kings

Edgecombe referenced that 30-point benchmark during his Sunday postgame media session, acknowledging, “I ain’t got my 30 since the first game.” He said gunning for that point total was not on his mind Thursday. In fact, Egdecombe immediately graded his performance against the Kings as a modest six out of 10, saying, “I feel like I can be better.”

“There’s aspects where I know I can be better,” Edgecombe added. “People are like, ‘Give yourself grace, being a rookie,’ and all that. But, nah, I want what’s best for me.”

Thursday’s circumstances — practically in the middle of the night in Philly, against a Kings team that has no interest in winning down the stretch of the regular season — certainly did not compare to Edgecombe’s dazzling opening night in Boston. Yet it was another step in the rookie’s heightened role as a scorer and offensive orchestrator without the All-Star point guard Maxey. In recent days, Edgecombe has talked about facing double teams for the first time in his basketball life, as well as being guarded by players who have made an All-Defensive team such as Jrue Holiday and Toumani Camara.

Thursday night, Edgecombe complemented that high-flying slam off Edwards’ feed with a 3-of-7 mark from beyond the arc. Edgecombe appropriately read pick-and-rolls even when the Kings began to blitz defensively in the second half, Nurse said, leading to downhill attacks with the ball and kick-out passes.

Edgecombe also repeatedly got to his midrange jumper. The one he hit at the end of the first quarter? He said he drilled that specific move and shot during his pregame warm-up, because Hines told him, “That’s going to be open.”

“Every shot I shot tonight, I worked on,” said Edgecombe, who finished 16-of-28 from the floor. “They just kept falling. ... I’m just trying to add to my game, so I don’t have no limits.”

Edwards believes his confidence is “back to where it used to be, honestly” in the late stage of a second NBA season previously defined by inconsistent playing time.

He found rhythm in a 19-point effort last Saturday against the Brooklyn Nets, then was even better in a 21-point outing against Portland the following night. Thursday’s two early deep shots ignited his 13-point first quarter, which Grimes said prompted teammates to encourage Edwards to continue shooting.

“That’s kind of the player I envision him becoming — just a really knock-down shooter,” Nurse added of Edwards. “His mechanics are amazing. His work ethic’s amazing. And he seems to be open.”

Edgecombe and Edwards anchored a terrific overall offensive showing for a Sixers team that had struggled mightily to make shots — particularly three-pointers — since Maxey went down on March 7. On Thursday, the Sixers went 17-of-36 from long range. They scored 21 points off Kings turnovers. They grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, fueling their 102 field-goal attempts.

“You see guys having a good time, you kind of get excited for them,” Grimes said. “And the ball kind of tends to find energy.”

As the Sixers attempt to patch things together through this postseason push, a longer-term hope is that, for players such as Edwards and Edgecombe, the experience gained with increased responsibilities can also be applied in more truncated roles as teammates return.

In the short term, they relished their career nights.

When Edwards reached 20 points in the third quarter, teammates began asking how many more he needed to set a new career high. During Edgecombe’s postgame television interview, he joked that Edwards ignored an open pass to him in order to launch the three-pointer that got him to 30.

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For Edgecombe, a transition three-pointer from the right wing gave him his new career high of 36 points. He reached 38 by following his own missed shot. It looked like he might reach 40 when he grabbed a rebound and took it the opposite way, before an official called a foul as he attempted a crafty finish at the rim. Kings coach Doug Christie challenged the call and it was overturned, meaning Edgecombe did not get to step to the free-throw line.

Nurse opted to sub Edgecombe out of the game, believing the Sixers did not “need him in the open floor getting knocked down or whatever, at that point.”

“I respect it. I understand,” Edgecombe said. “I wasn’t mad at [Nurse]. Yeah, I don’t got no comment.”

As Sixers teammates and staffers grabbed In-N-Out burgers and French fries while departing the arena, Edgecombe wandered the hallways searching for the weight room. Even on a career night, he still needed to complete his postgame lift.

Edwards also was one of the last players inside the visitors’ locker room, playfully hovering behind the media scrum as Edgecombe shared that he was happier about Edwards’ 30 points than his own.

A few minutes later, Edwards returned the praise.

“That’s my dog,” Edwards said of Edgecombe. “Always happy for ‘V.’ … That just shows the hard work.”