Philadelphia 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe took home NBA Rising Stars MVP honors.
Philadelphia 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe put on a show in the first night of the NBA All-Star Weekend, hitting two game-winners and taking home the MVP of the NBA Rising Stars tournament.
VJ Edgecombe
VJ Edgecombe
VJ Edgecombe
MIN: 35.6
PTS: 15 (47.89%)
REB: 5.39
AS: 4.08
ST: 1.47
BL: 0.47
TO: 1.86
GM: 49
It turned into a straight-up "next basket takes it" finish in the title game, and VJ Edgecombe didn't blink.
The Sixers rookie calmly sank two free throws to lift his squad to a 25-24 win over Team Melo and walk away with Rising Stars MVP honors. He dropped 17 points in the semifinal and added six more in the final to cap off a statement night.
Team Melo had momentum late, leading 23-22 with a chance to end it from deep, but they couldn't generate a clean look beyond the arc. Moments later, Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs tipped in a miss by Jeremiah Fears to make it 24-23, setting up Edgecombe's clutch trip to the line.
Earlier in the night, Team Melo survived a tight semifinal thanks to Dylan Harper. The San Antonio rookie went one-on-one against his older brother, Ron Harper Jr., and drilled a step-back from the right elbow to close it out.
Team Austin -- powered by G League talent -- had built a 32-28 edge, but the Houston Rockets' Reed Sheppard flipped the script with back-to-back triples. Team Melo finished on a 12-2 run to seal the comeback.
Sheppard and Donovan Clingan led Team Melo with nine points apiece, while Castle chipped in six points and five assists. Team Austin leaned on its size, with Clippers' Yanic Konan Niederhauser and Blazers' Yang Hansen combining for 21 of the team's 34 points.
In the other semifinal, Team T-Mac stormed ahead 15-7 before Team Vince answered with a decisive 10-0 run. Edgecombe once again took over late, scoring his team's final 10 points in a 41-36 victory.
He closed it with a step-back jumper in isolation over the Memphis Grizzlies' Cam Spencer, finishing with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting. The Cleveland Cavaliers' Jaylon Tyson paced Team T-Mac with 10 points and five rebounds.
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