Instant Observations: Clutch VJ Edgecombe performance leads Sixers to win over Jazz
Mar 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Vj Edgecombe (77) goes to the basket against Utah Jazz guard Elijah Harkless (16) and guard Ace Bailey (19) and forward Kyle Filipowski (22) during the first half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images The Sixers came into Saturday night’s game against the Utah Jazz locked into a three-team tie with the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks for the 7th-through-9th seeds in the Eastern Conference, just a half game behind the slumping Orlando Magic for 6th place in the East. With Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Paul George and Kelly Oubre Jr all out of the lineup, the time for “pretty” wins has come and gone.
Right now, each and every winnable game is a massive deal for a team looking to position themselves for a late-season run when the stars return. The Sixers received some help earlier Saturday night, with the Rockets pulling out a 123-122 win over the Heat, not to mention the Lakers downing the Magic 105-104. Sadly, the Warriors could not do the same against the Hawks.
Most importantly, the Sixers took control of the game late in the 4th quarter with a 14-4 run, leading to a 126-116 win to cap off a 2-1 road trip. It was a crucial night for a team looking to put themselves in position to avoid the play-in tournament altogether. Here’s what stood out.
Ace Bailey, VJ Edgecombe duel to a draw VJ Edgecombe and Ace Bailey, the 3rd and 5th selections in last year’s NBA Draft, came into the game fresh off of career-highs for each, as VJ Edgecombe dropped 38 on the Kings in Thursday’s win, with Ace netting 33 in Utah’s 128-96 win over the Bucks on the same day. VJ came alive in the second quarter, with a nice pull-up jumper that looked to get him going. Edgecombe then turned it on with a nice spin move to set up a floater a few possessions later, then hit the Jazz with a euro-step in transition for a sweet lefty layup.
But Edgecombe took a hit to the face with a little over a minute left in the second, and then struggled with his jumper for most of the third. He still found ways to contribute — he crashed the glass once again, made some decent passes running the offense and competed defensively. Edgecombe then came back alive down the stretch, finishing with 22 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists, including a dagger jumper with a little under a minute remaining to put the Sixers up 10.
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