76ers' coach praises VJ Edgecombe's defensive heroics against Celtics

On Saturday night, the Philadelphia 76ers erased a three-game deficit against the Boston Celtics, coming out on top in game seven, 109-100, which would book their tickets to the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

The main brunt of the Sixers’ offensive force came from Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, who would combine for 64 points, but there was another key contributor: VJ Edgecombe.

The Sixers’ rookie wouldn’t show any nerves on the offensive end of the court, nailing five shots from downtown, ending the night with 23 points to his name.

Nurse highlights Edgecombe's defensive ability

But this wouldn’t be what caught the eye of Philadelphia’s head coach Nick Nurse, who was more focused on his defensive theatrics, particularly on the Celtics’ Derrick White, who had 19 points to his name by half-time, with 12 of those points coming from three-point territory.

“Obviously, he was great, they get a lot of help off of him, so he was going to get some opportunities, and to step in there and hit those, 5-11 is amazing,” Nurse stated to the press. “But most importantly, he kind of came out of the half-time saying, ‘I got [Derrick] White, I’m going to do better on him… I know everyone sees the 23 points, 5-11, but those are the things that make a huge difference in a game seven.”

The second half wouldn’t see White have the same success from the field, only adding seven more points to his tally, while shooting 23.1 percent and 11 percent from beyond the arc down the stretch. Given the tight nine-point margin at the end of the match, it's safe to say that the Bahamian's work on the defensive end of the court had something to do with Philadelphia taking home the win.

Edgecombe’s defensive theatrics will be something to keep an eye on during the Sixers’ semi-finals series against the New York Knicks, with game one between the two sides slated for Monday night at 8:00 p.m. EST.

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