VJ Edgecombe scores 34 in NBA debut as 76ers beat Celtics

VJ Edgecombe scored 34 points in his NBA debut Wednesday night at TD Garden in Boston, leading the Philadelphia 76ers to a 117-116 season-opening victory over the Boston Celtics. The 20-year-old rookie, the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft out of Baylor, delivered a historic performance that included 14 first-quarter points and a team-high 42 minutes on the floor.

Edgecombe finished 13 of 26 from the field, 5 of 13 from three-point range, and added seven rebounds, three assists and a steal with two turnovers. His 14 points in the first quarter set a record for most points in a first quarter of an NBA debut, surpassing the previous mark of 12. His 34 points are the most by a player in his NBA debut since Wilt Chamberlain’s 43 in 1959 and the most ever by a 76ers rookie in a first game, eclipsing Allen Iverson’s 30-point debut in 1996.

Philadelphia trailed by as many as 13 and entered the fourth quarter down 86-75 before mounting a comeback that carried into the closing seconds. Edgecombe missed two free throws with 8.5 seconds remaining, but the 76ers’ defense prevented Boston from converting on the final possession as Payton Pritchard’s attempts rimmed out. Guard Tyrese Maxey...