VJ Edgecombe made a victorious summer league return Tuesday night.
Edgecombe came back after a four-game absence with a left thumb sprain and the Sixers earned a 74-58 win over the Wizards.
Edgecombe logged 30 minutes and posted 15 points on 4-for-14 shooting, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Justin Edwards was the Sixers’ leading scorer with 17 points.
The 1-2 Sixers will play the Mavericks on Wednesday night. Here are observations on their win against Washington:
Edgecombe shakes off rust
Edgecombe did not come close to replicating his 28-point, 10-rebound performance in the Sixers’ opening game of the Salt Lake City summer league.
The Sixers had their third straight slow start in Las Vegas and fell behind 9-0. They began 1 for 16 from the floor as a team.
Edgecombe was displeased by a couple of dubious no-calls in the first quarter. Independent of the officiating, he clearly had some rust. The 19-year-old air balled an open three-pointer late in the first period and missed an uncontested layup in the second.
Though he was scoreless in the first half and came up empty on his first seven field goal attempts, Edgecombe did flash talents outside of shotmaking. He elevated high for a defensive rebound early in the second quarter, pushed the ball forward and dropped off an assist to Keve Aluma. He was generally solid as a passer in the half court, too.
Edgecombe recorded his first points when he tried for a monstrous dunk early in the third quarter, finally received a foul call and made both of his free throws. He eventually got a dunk to go down and later teamed up with Edwards on an alley-oop.
Stretching the floor in the frontcourt
Aluma was a standout in the second quarter. The 26-year-old power forward scored 12 points in the period on 4-for-5 shooting.
Johni Broome also provided substantial frontcourt scoring. He gave the Sixers their first lead with a second-quarter slam and then drilled a top-of-the-key triple.
Broome is now 6 for 11 from long range in Las Vegas. The Sixers’ second-round pick had a nice night overall with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Edgecombe, Edwards help Sixers pull away
Adem Bona remained among the top shot blockers so far in Vegas, adding six rejections to his tally. He’s at 11 blocks through three games.
Bona was on the floor as the Sixers thoroughly outplayed the Wizards in the final minutes. Edgecombe and Edwards featured.
After running a pick-and-roll with Bona, Edgecombe dished to Edwards for a wing three. Edgecombe then swished a catch-and-shoot jumper of his own on the Sixers’ next possession.
While neither Edwards nor Edgecombe had especially efficient games, both were glad to fire away down the stretch and cemented the Sixers’ first Vegas victory.
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