Sixers

3 Observations: Edgecombe’s Historic Debut, Maxey’s 40 Points Propel 76ers to Opening Night Win Over Celtics

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Matt Gregan
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Matt Gregan Sports Editor

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Published22 Oct 2025

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Tyrese Maxey - 10/22/25

Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe combined to score 74 points, leading the Philadelphia 76ers to a 117-116 win over the Boston Celtics in their regular season opener.

Maxey scored 40 points to go with two rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block. Edgecombe finished with 34 points, seven rebounds, three assists and one steal in his NBA debut. His 34 points were the most ever scored by a Sixers rookie in their debut. The Sixers were without Paul George (left knee surgery recovery), Jared McCain (right thumb surgery recovery) and Trendon Watford (left hamstring tightness).

Derrick White finished with 25 points, three rebounds and four assists for the Celtics. Jaylen Brown totaled 25 points, six rebounds and four assists. Boston was without Jayson Tatum (right achilles repair).

The Sixers’ next matchup is their home opener against the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday. Here are three observations from the win over the Celtics:

Edgecombe Lights Up Scoreboard in NBA Debut

The Sixers could not have asked for a better debut performance from the their No. 3 overall pick. Edgecombe scored 14 points in the first quarter alone. His 14 first-quarter points were the most points in an opening quarter debut in NBA history. In the process, he showcased his explosiveness, athleticism and willingness to shoot. Highlight reel plays, like the one below, are going to become a common occurrence from Edgecombe.

While Edgecombe made a handful of explosive plays, he also had success from beyond the arc. Outside shooting was not one of Edgecombe’s strengths in college. He shot just 34.0% from 3-point range on 4.6 attempts per game in his lone season at Baylor. Boston was comfortable giving Edgecombe open looks from beyond the arc, and the rookie did not shy away. He attempted six shots from long distance in the first quarter, draining three of them. Playing alongside Maxey should lead to Edgecombe having a ton of open looks on the perimeter. Against the Celtics, Edgecombe found success both letting it go from deep and using his athleticism to explode past Boston’s closeouts and do damage at the rim.

Edgecombe went through a brief cold spell midway through the game, but he kept battling and the shots eventually started falling once again. He scored nine points in the fourth quarter, including knocking down a few difficult jumpers to help the Sixers climb back in the game. His debut made clear he is not afraid of the moment while also cementing himself as one of the Sixers’ top players right out of the gate. His 34 points were the most a Sixers player has ever scored in their debut.

Edgecombe’s backcourt mate also opened up the regular season with a dominating performance. Maxey was firing on all cylinders offensively, including scoring 17 points in the second quarter.

He did a perfect job mixing up his pace of play, at times settling for the jumper while mixing in multiple quick drives to the basket. One of the things that makes Maxey difficult to defend is his ability to effectively change speeds at the drop of a hat. That skill was on display in the regular season opener, and Boston had no solutions for stopping him.

The Maxey-Edgecombe backcourt pairing has the potential to be one of the more impactful ones in the league. Both players have the speed to torment opposing defenses by attacking in transition. In addition to their ability to push the pace, the duo put out a blueprint for how to play off each other. Edgecombe was able to get, and take advantage of, a lot of open 3-pointers due to Boston’s defense attempting to get the ball out of Maxey’s hands. The Sixers also had Edgecombe bring up the ball and run the offense, allowing Maxey to focus on doing damage while playing away from the ball.

The Sixers, after a strong start, seemingly ran out of steam in the third quarter. However, Maxey went on a heater midway through the fourth quarter, knocking down multiple 3-pointers to get the Sixers back in the game. Head coach Nick Nurse went with a small-ball lineup centered around Maxey, Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes for much of the fourth quarter. Each of those players made multiple key players in the final frame to give the Sixers just enough juice to come away with the win on opening night.

Barlow Proves Worthy of Starting Nod

One of key storylines throughout training camp and the preseason was the rise of two-way signee Dominick Barlow. He was rewarded with the starting nod at power forward. The 22-year old jumped at the opportunity. Just a few minutes into the action, Barlow had a sequence of plays where he tipped an offensive rebound out that led to a Maxey 3-pointer, made a block on a White layup attempt, won a jump ball and then made an and-one on the other end of the floor.

Barlow’s hustle and energy stood out against Boston. It should not be a surprise to see Barlow continue to see significant time on the floor. He finished the game with 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists. If he continues to put up these types of performances, the Sixers could convert his two-way deal to a standard contract later on this season.

The Sixers’ power forward rotation is far from complete with both George and Watford out of the lineup. However, Barlow and Jabari Walker did a good job battling and making a lot of high-energy plays. Walker finished with six points and four rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench. In a testament to their hustle on the glass, Barlow and Walker combined to grab seven offensive rebounds.

Embiid Struggles, Looks a Step Slow on Both Ends of the Floor

While Maxey and Edgecombe began the season in peak form, the same could not be said about Embiid. He looked far from his normal self, settling for too many jumpers and largely playing out on the perimeter. Normally an efficient shooter, Embiid never found the touch on his jumper. He was largely a non-factor offensively, an unusual sighting from the former MVP and seven-time All-Star. Time will tell if Embiid was more hesitant to battle inside because of any potential physical issues.

Embiid’s play was not any better on the defensive end of the floor. He did not effectively get back to defend in transition and was largely non-existent as a rim defender. While he did not appear to be laboring physically, Embiid looked a step slow and it resulted in one of his worst performances in recent memory.

Embiid came into the game on a minutes restriction. Whether it was because of the restriction on his playing time or due to his poor performance, Embiid was not on the floor for the final 9:18 of action.

The Sixers fortunately, behind huge production from both Maxey and Edgecombe, were still able to come away with the win despite Embiid’s lack of production. One poor game should not be enough to ring any alarm bells about Embiid, especially considering his lone game action heading into the season was one preseason game. However, the Sixers will likely need much more from Embiid if they will consistently stack up wins going forward.