In a wild finish, rookie VJ Edgecombe delivered the go-ahead bucket with 0.9 seconds left, and Tyrese Maxey sealed the win with a coast-to-coast, game-saving block as the Philadelphia 76ers escaped the short-handed Golden State Warriors 99–98 on Thursday.
Maxey poured in 35 points, but his potential game-winner rimmed out in the final seconds. Edgecombe crashed the glass and tipped it home, flipping a one-point deficit into a one-point lead. Golden State nearly stole it anyway, firing a long inbounds pass to De’Anthony Melton, who leaked out behind the defense. But Maxey turned and sprinted the length of the floor, swatting Melton’s layup off the glass just before the buzzer.
The sequence saved what had looked like a comfortable Philadelphia win. With Joel Embiid (12 points) returning to the lineup, the Sixers led by 24 after Maxey drilled a third-quarter three that put them up 67–43. But the Warriors, missing stars Stephen Curry (left quad) and Jimmy Butler (left knee) and later losing Draymond Green to a right foot injury, stormed back. Pat Spencer led Golden State with 16 points, and a 15–0 fourth-quarter run helped them steal a late lead before the frantic final minute.
Edgecombe’s night wasn’t finished; he intercepted a Warriors inbounds pass with 8.2 seconds left, setting up the possession that led to his decisive tip-in.
The Warriors did get a boost with Melton’s season debut; he scored 14 points in his first game since tearing his ACL. But Curry missed his third straight game, and seventh this season, and Butler remained sidelined after exiting Tuesday’s loss to Oklahoma City.
Philadelphia remains short-handed as well: Paul George (left knee recovery) sat out with the Sixers facing a back-to-back.
Up Next:
*Warriors: at Cleveland, Saturday.
76ers: at Milwaukee, Friday.*
