BOSTON -- Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe wasted no time making his mark in the NBA, scoring 34 points in his debut to help Philadelphia rally to beat the Boston Celtics 117-116 in their season opener Wednesday night.
Edgecombe scored the most points in an NBA debut since Wilt Chamberlain had 43 on Oct. 24, 1959, and the third-most in a debut all-time. He also set the franchise scoring record in a debut, breaking Allen Iverson's mark of 30.
Tyrese Maxey scored a game-high 40 points for the Sixers. Philadelphia led by four with 22 seconds left, but it was down to one when Edgecombe missed a pair of foul shots with 9.1 seconds to play. Payton Pritchard had two shots for the winner and missed both.
Joel Embiid played for the first time since February, scoring four points on 1-of-9 s