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Tim Bontemps
PHILADELPHIA — Last season, it took a month — and 15 games — for the Philadelphia 76ers to claim their third victory of what eventually became a dismal 24-58 campaign.
This season? Six days — and three games — to get there.
And they largely have Tyrese Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe to thank, as the pair has combined for 182 points — the most by any starting backcourt through a team’s first three games of a season since starters were first tracked in 1970-71, according to ESPN Research.
Monday was another scintillating performance from the pair as Maxey had 43 points and 8 assists while Edgecombe had 26 points and 7 dimes to help the 76ers continue one of the most surprising starts of this young NBA season, improving to 3-0 thanks to a 136-124 victory over the Orlando Magic.
“Yeah, I mean obviously the guys are playing extremely hard and again, we needed every bit of everybody that hit the floor,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said afterward. “You look down [at the box score] and you say, ‘Who didn’t help us tonight?
“You couldn’t say anybody [who came in] didn’t help us tonight.”
While it is true Philadelphia got plenty of contributions from across the roster in this one, the headliners — like they have been in each of the first three games — have been the backcourt of Maxey and Edgecombe. At this time a year ago, the 76ers were just beginning what became a six-month dirge of a season, one that ended with the 76ers crossing their fingers and toes in the hopes of landing some lottery luck to keep their top-6 protected first round pick.
Philadelphia did, in fact, get that luck, and as a result got Edgecombe. And, because they are did, they are off to a flying start — including winning Monday’s game with Joel Embiid watching in sweats. He will play Tuesday in the second night of a back-to-back in Washington against the Wizards.
“I got confidence in myself and I got confidence in my work and I trust the people that I work with within the team,” said Edgecombe, who is averaging 25 points while shooting 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range through the first three games of the season. “I say I’m a student of the game, so I know where my buckets are going to come from. I watch a lot of basketball, I watch a lot of film, especially when I’m playing with great players like Tyrese and Joel.
“I know where the shots are going to come from, and I’ve been able to capitalize on that.”
As a result, there’s plenty of excitement both within the organization and around the city about this team, and about its effervescent young backcourt, who are off to an explosive start. When both players were told they’d combined for the most points by a backcourt to start a season, they couldn’t wrap their heads around it.
“For real?” Edgecombe asked with a smile. “That’s a great stat to know.”
Maxey, meanwhile, paused for several seconds, trying to figure out what to say, before eventually just shaking his head and saying, “That was a long time ago.
“We’re just trying to go out there and be aggressive and help us win,” Maxey continued. “As long as we’re doing that then we’re doing a good job.”
No one is debating whether a good job is happening here in Philadelphia through three games. The Sixers have been missing Paul George (knee), Jared McCain (thumb) and Trendon Watford (hamstring) through the first three games, while Dominick Barlow (elbow) is now out for an extended period and Embiid is either playing on a minutes limit or sitting out one half of each back-to-back.
And yet, despite that, the 76ers have quickly forged an identity as a team that’s going to play at a frenetic pace and will play through its guards — whether Embiid, and eventually George, are available or not.
That constant threat of speed and athleticism allowed the 76ers to come-from-behind down the stretch to win both in Boston last week in their season opener and then at home Saturday night against the Charlotte Hornets. It also allowed them to hold off a second-half surge from the Magic (1-3), who got 32 points from Paolo Banchero but failed to press their size advantage over the much-smaller 76ers for large stretches of the contest.
“Just little things I think keep adding up,” Nurse said, when asked for an explanation for how the 76ers have been able to pull these early games out. “But, mostly, I think those guys are playing so well together out there that it’s making it hard to hone in on stopping any one of them.
“I think that’s probably the biggest thing.”
The 76ers have also, to this point, been getting contributions from different players each game. Kelly Oubre had what Nurse called his best game in his two-plus seasons in Philadelphia Monday night, finishing with 25 points and 10 rebounds while spending much of the game guarding the far-bigger Banchero. Saturday night against Charlotte, it was Andre Drummond coming in and playing virtually the final 16 minutes of the game without a rest to help power the comeback win over the Hornets.
But, more than anything, it’s been Maxey and Edgecombe teaming up to breathe life into a franchise that spent last season watching it slowly ebb out of it.
“I think I’m at the point in my career where I want us to be really good as a team,” Maxey said, “and I know that starts with me.
“I want us to win … I want us to win so bad every single game, and I want to do whatever I can to help my team do that.”