76ers’ VJ Edgecombe makes ‘wild’ admission about play-in performance

The Philadelphia 76ers locked up the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 109-97 Play-In Tournament win against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night, behind clutch performances from Tyrese Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe.

Maxey led all scorers with 31 points, including a game-changing stretch of seven consecutive points late in the fourth quarter that turned a close contest into a comfortable win. Edgecombe complemented that effort with 19 points and 11 rebounds across 42 minutes in his postseason debut, providing a strong two-way presence throughout the game.

After the win, Edgecombe made a blunt admission about his high-energy performance.

“God, I did, I did. I was tweaking a little bit tonight,” Edgecombe said. “But I was able to settle in a little bit, calm down. I was, yeah, I mean, I guess it happens when you met a kid playing such a high-intensity game, I mean, but I was out there having fun. I was out there having fun. So if I gotta play wild for us to win, I’ll play wild, so yeah.”

VJ Edgecombe on Nick Nurse describing his play as “wild” tonight

“I was tweaking a little bit tonight…I guess that happens when you let a kid play in such a high intensity game. I was out there having fun. If i gotta play wild for us to win, I’ll play wild.” pic.twitter.com/UjHPeU5vx9

— PHLY Sixers (@PHLY_Sixers) April 16, 2026

Edgecombe’s performance stood out not only statistically but stylistically, as his speed in transition created matchup problems for Orlando’s guards. His physical approach also led to a taunting technical after a dunk over Jalen Suggs.

Philadelphia played without Joel Embiid, who recently underwent an emergency appendectomy in Houston. Although there remains no timetable for his return, Embiid rejoined the team on Wednesday, surprising teammates in the locker room and watching from the bench. In his absence, Andre Drummond stepped up and recorded 14 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, three steals, and three blocks in nearly 32 minutes, including 2-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc.

Additional contributions came from Kelly Oubre Jr., who scored 19 points, and Paul George, who added 16. George also made a pivotal defensive play that led to an Edgecombe dunk during a third-quarter run, which further stretched the 76ers’ lead.

The Magic were led by Desmond Bane, who scored 34 points, but they couldn’t keep pace down the stretch.

The victory sets up a first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics for the 23rd postseason meeting between the franchises, the most frequent matchup in NBA history.

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