Rookie VJ Edgecombe, Tyrese Maxey power 76ers past cold-shooting Celtics to tie series at 1-1

There will be no Boston Celtics sweep.

Rookie VJ Edgecombe stole the show at TD Garden Tuesday night to power the Philadelphia 76ers past the Celtics in a 111-97 win. Edgecombe overcame a hard fall on his backside in the first quarter that prompted him to go to the locker room twice.

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But he returned both times to pace the 76ers alongside his backcourt mate, Tyrese Maxey. The tandem led an onslaught from 3 as Philadelphia shot 19 of 39 (49%) from long distance.

Edgecombe led Philadelphia with 30 points while shooting 6 of 10 from 3. He finished with 30 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals while shooting 12 of 20 from the floor. Per ESPN, Edgecombe passed Magic Johnson as the youngest player in playoff history (20 years, 265 days) to tally 30 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff game.

Maxey added 29 while shooting 5 of 12 from long distance. The overall effort marked a stark contrast from Boston’s 123-91 blowout win in Game 1 in which the 76ers shot 4 of 23 (17%) from beyond the arc.

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Celtics go cold from deep

Tuesday, instead, marked Boston’s turn to go cold from 3 as the Celtics shot 13 of 47 (28%) from beyond the arc. Jaylen Brown was Boston’s only reliable source of offense with 30 points, and Jayson Tatum was the only other Celtic to score in double figures (19).

Brown attempted to set the tone early for the Celtics with a Thunderous dunk over Adam Bona in the first quarter that brought TD Garden to its collective feet.

Brown’s reaction to the dunk also drew a technical foul, but the Celtics ended the first quarter with a 28-25 lead and their sights set on a 2-0 series lead.

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But Philadelphia punched back in the second quarter, paced by Edgecombe’s hot shooting. Edgecombe hit 4 3s before halftime and tallied 20 first-half points while leading the 76ers to a 62-54 lead.

From there, Boston closed the gap to as close at 91-89 midway through the third quarter, but it never led again. Maxey helped turn away any semblance of a Celtics rally with his own hot shooting in the fourth quarter.