Sixers Bell Ringer: Red-hot shooting from Justin Edwards lifts Sixers to another crunch-time win
2025-2026 Sixers Bell Ringer Season Standings:
Your Philadelphia 76ers welcomed a familiar foe in the Boston Celtics to Xfinity Mobile Arena in South Philly on Tuesday night for an Eastern Conference clash. The Sixers came into the matchup looking to get back in the win column after falling on Sunday night at home against the Detroit Pistons.
This would be an early-season rubber match between the two teams as they have already faced off twice. The Sixers won the opening night matchup in Boston while the Celtics took a one-point win in Philly on Halloween night to open in-season tournament play. The Sixers were without Joel Embiid, who was ruled out earlier in the day due to right knee soreness. The Sixers remained without Paul George, who has yet to make his season debut. Dominick Barlow also remained out as he continues to recover from an elbow laceration suffered earlier in the season.
A rather sloppy first quarter came to a close with the Sixers holding a narrow 23-22 advantage. Maxey led all scorers with eight points including two three-pointers. The Sixers held the Celtics to just 7-of-25 shooting in the first period.
The Sixers were led in the second quarter by nine straight points midway through the quarter from Justin Edwards. Andre Drummond put together a good half, pouring in 10 points to go along with seven rebounds. A combination of solid defensive effort from the Sixers and ice-cold shooting from the Celtics gave the Sixers a 51-41 lead at the intermission. The Celtics were a woeful 14-for-50 from the field in the first half.
The lid predictably came off the rim for the Celtics in the third quarter. After only mustering up 41 points in the first half, Boston poured in 36 in the third. The Celtics were led by 13 third-quarter points from Derrick White, including three from beyond the arc. A halfcourt heave to close the third from Quentin Grimes cut the Celtics lead to 77-71 headed to the fourth and final frame.
A highly entertaining fourth quarter saw the Celtics take an eight-point lead. The Sixers refused to go away. Red-hot shooting from Justin Edwards willed the Sixers back into the game. The Celtics took a 92-84 lead with 6:15 to go in the game. Three consecutive Sixers possessions later produced three straight Edwards three-pointers to give the Sixers a 93-92 lead with 4:42 to play. Jaylen Brown split a pair of free throws with 33 seconds left to knot the score at 100 all. A Kelly Oubre put back with 8.7 seconds remaining in the ball game gave the Sixers a 102-100 lead. A Derrick White missed three just inside mid court and a Neemias Queta missed putback at the buzzer would put an end to this one. Sixers win 102-100!
Time for the Bell Ringer.
Justin Edwards: 22 points, 8-for-9 from field, 5-for-6 from three, game-high +12
Edwards put in his best performance of the season. He reminded fans why many were so excited for his future after how he closed last season. Edwards started the game 8-for-8 from the field and 5-for-5 from beyond the arc. The Sixers needed every one of them in route to the comeback victory. He also made several nice defensive stops in isolation in this game — something that he started to make a staple of his game last season. The Sixers’ sweet shooting southpaw will look to build on this performance and stake a claim to be a permanent member of the Sixers’ regular rotation.
Quentin Grimes: 18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 6-of-10 from the field, 3-of-6 from three
Grimes continued his stellar play off the bench for the Sixers in this one. He went basket for basket with Anfernee Simons early in the fourth quarter to keep the Sixers within striking distance. Grimes’ ability to create his own shot off the bounce provided a release valve for the Sixers’ offense when things got bogged down. Grimes on-ball defense was very sound in this one as well, helping hold the Celtics to their worst shooting half of the season in the first half. While the Sixers wait for Jared McCain to get back up to speed and for Paul George to return to the lineup, Grimes’ scoring and shot creation will continue to be needed in a big way for this Sixers team.
