Sixers Win a Wild One, Fueled by an Unlikely Source

Tyrese Maxey had a downright BAD shooting performance Tuesday night. Joel Embiid was out with knee soreness. VJ Edgecombe remained in the funk he's been struggling with as of late. Kelly Oubre had his second lowest scoring output of the season. And the Sixers still won.

A narrow 102-100 victory over the Boston Celtics was fueled by an unlikely source: 21-year-old second year player Justin Edwards.

Edwards dropped a team-high 22 points in the win, going 8-9 from the field and 5-6 from three-point range, in 26 minutes off the bench. With Maxey, Edgecome, and Oubre struggling - combined with Trendon Watford presenting very little offensive contributions - someone needed to step up. Justin Edwards did.

It was the third meeting between the Sixers and Celtics during this young season and the Sixers have now captured two victories against their rival. It proved to be a big win for a team that needs to begin to prepare for life without Joel Embiid. Another player who stepped up was Andre Drummond, who was thrust into the starting lineup to replace Embiid. The 32-year-old recorded a double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, in addition to some much needed defense on the final possession the game, where Derrick White hoisted a deep three pointer that missed.

Embiid has now missed five of the Sixers 11 contests this season. They're 4-2 with the injury-riddled seven footer and 3-2 without him. In the past three games Embiid has been absent, Andre Drummond is averaging 14.7 PPG and 12.7 REB.

If we've learned one thing over the past decade about Joel Embiid, it's that a seemingly minor injury like "right knee soreness" will not exactly be minor. Sure, it could be. But history tells us otherwise. Therefore, in Embiid's likely prolonged absence, everyone will need to step up. Someone like Justin Edwards - who has had an uncertain role on this team through the first ten games of the season - will need to produce when his number is called, just like he did Tuesday night.

Kelly Oubre will need to stop his carelessness on the floor. I'm a fan of Oubre, but if you've watched him during his tenure with the Sixers, you've certainly seem him make countless boneheaded mistakes, such as stepping out of bounds last night. If I had a nickel for every time I've seen Kelly Oubre get the ball near the sideline and drive on his defender only to have the play upended by a whistle signaling his back foot was out of bounds, I'd have a lot more than two nickels.

VJ Edgecombe has started to look like a rookie. After a 34 point explosion opening night, he's failed to score more than 16 points in a game in November. He's 20-years-old. Anybody panicking or giving him a hard time is out of their skull. But he will have to be better.

The Sixers are going to be a scrappy team that pulls out close wins. They lack star power, but it seems that's the way the league is trending. This sets them up perfectly to contend this year. But I must remind you, this is the Philadelphia 76ers we're talking about here. And I must warn you, for as long as Joel Embiid is on this roster, he will be looming over this team like a grand piano held above by only a shoestring.