Derek Bodner

According to NBA tracking data, VJ Edgecombe was the primary defender on Jalen Brunson for a total of 106 possessions in 2025-26. Interestingly, the only player in the league to spend more time matched up against JB this season was Dyson Daniels, and Edgecombe actually enjoyed more success. Brunson scored only 19 points against Edgecombe, shooting 8-of-24 from the floor (33.3%, which was 15% below his season average) with seven assists vs. three turnovers. Among the 15 players who have defended Brunson for at least 75 possessions over the past two seasons, Edgecombe is the only one to hold Brunson under 42% shooting.

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On the Sixers' Game 7 victory in Boston, their historic comeback from being down 3-1, and Joel Embiid's chance at an epic late-career narrative rewrite. allphly.com/joel-embiid-si…

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Joel Embiid: "I have a message for our fans. Last time we played the Knicks, it felt like [Philly] was Madison Square Garden East. We're gonna need the support. Don't sell your tickets. This is bigger than you...If you need money, I got you."

It is not hyperbolic to say that a 20-year-old rookie's confidence in himself may have legitimately swung a Game 7 on the road. Incredible stuff from the rook.

After Derrick White dropped 19 points on the Sixers in the first half, rookie VJ Edgecombe came up to Nick Nurse at halftime and requested he guard White in the second half. White shot 1-5 for 3 points against Edgecombe for the game. 🔥

Joel Embiid, on his success in Game 7: "I saw #11 on their team, before I came back he said they didn't care if I was playing or not, and they hadn't even adjusted their gameplan around me. I think it also helps when the other team doesn't worry about you." "

Joel Embiid: "I've always taken the blame for everything that has happened. Sometimes I've been in those positions where I've come up short, and that's fine. But to be in a position where you know you can relax, because you trust those guys...it means a lot. You can't win alone. You need a team to be able to win."

Embiid, on VJ Edgecombe: "VJ is great. Doesn't always get the ball, especially when everybody is available, but he's always willing to do whatever it takes to win. I've been on him about shooting the ball, having that confidence, and he did that."

Joel Embiid: "It feels good to win. Obviously, we got a bigger goal in mind, but finally beating these guys felt pretty good."

Tyrese Maxey: "We've had this weird swag about us all year, this confidence in that we know who we can be, and we know who are are." "We never wavered. We always believed in each other. This group really likes each other, and likes to see each other succeed."

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Jaylen Brown on Joel Embiid: “Embiid put a lot of pressure on us. We didn’t really have an answer for him. We tried a bunch of different things. He’s a big body. He also was flopping around. He got some extra calls and they rewarded him for that, but that’s the league we’re in.”

Nick Nurse, on playing the Knicks in the second round: "They're very good. Their starting lineup is incredible. They can play a variety of ways. Brunson's a big problem, their rebounding is a big problem...I think they're very, very good. I think it's going to be a tremendous challenge."

The Sixers essentially had a 6 man rotation, with Drummond (8 minutes), Barlow (2) and Edwards (2) getting spot minutes.

Nick Nurse, on shrinking the rotation: "I just felt like those guys, that group, was playing really well together. If we don't win, we have the whole summer to recover from being tired." "I like to have my best players on the floor."

Nick Nurse, on VJ Edgecombe: "He came out at halftime said "I got White"....White was cooking, and I think he had 2 points in the 3rd quarter. Those are the things that make a big difference in these games."

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Final: Sixers hold on for a 109-100 win and will advance to face the Knicks in the second round. It's the first time the Sixers have beaten the Celtics in the playoffs since 1982. They had lost the previous six series against the Celtics, including 3 in the Joel Embiid era.