VJ Edgecombe made himself the hero in the OT thriller for the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday. The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Detroit Pistons, while the LA Clippers confirmed their strong form.
| Home | Away | Result |
| Memphis Grizzlies | Philadelphia 76ers | 136:139 |
| Utah Jazz | Boston Celtics | 119:129 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | Detroit Pistons | 106:128 |
| LA Clippers | Sacramento Kings | 131:90 |
Game of the night: Edgecombe shoots Sixers luck
Edgecombe ensured a conciliatory end to the year for the Sixers, who have had an eventful 12 months. In overtime against the Memphis Grizzlies, he made the final score 139:136 from downtown with 1.7 seconds left.
The Grizzlies got the ball to their counterpart of a promising rookie, but Cedric Coward was unable to equalize. Ja Morant and Joel Embiid had previously fought a short private duel in overtime.
In the fourth quarter, Edgecombe had already started a duel with Morant, the game’s top scorer. Morant scored 18 of his 40 points (16/22 FG, 4 turnovers) in the final quarter, Edgecombe (5/10 3P, 4 steals) responded with 13 of his 25 points. Both teams missed their last two shots in the final minute of regulation after Morant equalized.
Embiid wasn’t far from his first triple-double since February 4th with 34 points (11/28 FG), 10 rebounds and 8 assists with 4 turnovers. He played 38 minutes, Paul George (17, 6/17 FG) even played 39 minutes.
MVP of the night: Tyrese Maxey
The man of the night, however, was Maxey, who played 43 minutes and finished the game with 34 points (4/7 3P), 12 assists and 2 steals. And all without a single turnover! Maxey ended his outstanding first half (24, 9/10 FG) with a wild circus shot.
The 25-year-old joins Charles Barkley as the only players in Sixers history to record at least 30 points and 10 assists without a turnover in a game.
For Maxey, it was the 12th game of his career with at least 30 points without a turnover, moving him past players like Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Allen Iverson on the all-time list.
Rookie of the Night: Cedric Coward
Coward steals the show despite Edgecombe’s heroics. His new personal bests of 28 points (10/16 FG) and 16 rebounds were too good, 6 of which he grabbed at the opponent’s ring.
Coward scored after drives, cuts, coast-to-coast, with a smashing dunk after an offensive rebound. On his best days, the 22-year-old plays like an absolute veteran.
Spoilsport of the night: No present for the King
The NBA schedule gave LeBron James the opportunity to give the first impression of what he is still capable of as a 41-year-old at an important home game. The King didn’t have the best birthday with 17 points (6/17 FG), 4 assists and 5 turnovers, and the Lakers still don’t look like the top team of the first six weeks. James became the 12th player in NBA history to play in a game at age 41.
However, the King spent the final minutes watching the Lakers’ fourth loss in game five from the bench. His team had to chase a deficit for most of the game, and the Lakers ran out of steam in the final quarter (18:32).
Cade Cunningham was the man of the game with 27 points (12/19 FG) and 11 assists with 5 turnovers, he had by far the best net rating (+23) of the Pistons starters. Detroit’s reserves, on the other hand, performed almost entirely positively; Marcus Sasser scored a season high with 19 points (5/8 3P). Jalen Duren (14, 5 turnovers) grabbed 5 steals.
For the Lakers, Luka Doncic was once again the top scorer with 30 points (9/22 FG), but in addition to 11 assists, he also had 8 turnovers. Jaxson Hayes contributed 13 points (5/5 FG) off the bench.