Multiple Sixers youngsters had milestone nights Thursday in Sacramento. 

VJ Edgecombe was tremendous in the Sixers’ 139-118 win over the lowly Kings. The rookie set new NBA highs in both points (38) and assists (11).

Second-year wing Justin Edwards also had a career-best scoring game, tallying 32 points on 11-for-18 shooting. He went 7 for 11 from three-point range.

Quentin Grimes put up 27 points and seven assists.

Rookie big man Maxime Raynaud posted 30 points in defeat for the 18-53 Kings.

The 38-32 Sixers were still without Joel Embiid (right oblique strain), Tyrese Maxey (right pinky sprain), Paul George (suspension), Kelly Oubre Jr. (left elbow sprain) and Johni Broome (right knee surgery recovery). 

Embiid was initially upgraded from out to doubtful on the Sixers’ Wednesday night injury report, indicating he’s moving closer to a return. He missed his 11th straight game. 

The Sixers will visit the Jazz on Saturday night in the final contest of their three-game West Coast road trip. Here are observations on their blowout win over the Kings:

Slump-busting start

Both Edgecombe and Edwards played the full first quarter. The duo had a massive quarter, totaling 25 points on 10-for-16 shooting.

Edwards hit three early three-pointers. Edgecombe and Andre Drummond both made two triples in the opening frame. Drummond drilled his wide-open jumpers from the identical spot in the left corner.

The Sixers were due for a hot three-point stretch after four consecutive subpar games. Following a 9-for-41 night Tuesday in their blowout loss to the Nuggets, the Sixers went 7 for 12 in the first quarter. 

There weren’t many early stops on either end. At one point, the Sixers were 14 for 18 from the field and the Kings were 11 for 14. One reason the Sixers built a lead was their advantage in the possession game. The team committed zero turnovers in the first period.

Edwards and Edgecombe teamed up for a highlight alley-oop in the final minute of the first. Edgecombe capped the quarter with a buzzer-beating mid-range jumper to give the Sixers a 45-33 lead. 

More Lowry minutes 

The Sixers’ 11-man rotation included Jabari Walker, who logged six minutes after missing the past three games with an illness.

Kyle Lowry played in three straight games for the first time this season. Before this run, he’d appeared in just nine games and never for two in a row.

The Sixers struggled with Lowry in and Grimes the lone starter on the floor early in the second quarter. When Lowry’s entered this year, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse has almost always shifted to zone defense. Raynaud and Doug McDermott made threes against the Sixers’ zone, the team’s offense cooled off drastically, and Sacramento took a 50-49 edge with a pair of Killian Hayes free throws. 

While Lowry hasn’t been playing tons of minutes (five before garbage time Thursday), keeping him in the rotation mix seemed strange on several levels. 

Perhaps Nurse wanted a certain number of guards in, but Grimes and Cameron Payne were both on the court. And with all due respect to a six-time All-Star in Lowry, he offers very little these days in terms of breaking down defenses or hitting shots. Lowry has gone 3 for 16 from the floor in his 20th season and last made a field goal on Feb. 9.

Two-way contract wing MarJon Beauchamp got a single minute in the second quarter, though he did receive extended playing time in the second half. Beauchamp scored a team-high 16 points against the Nuggets and was effective defensively on Blazers All-Star Deni Avdija in the fourth quarter of the Sixers’ win Sunday.

Of course, the Sixers traded away a young guard in Jared McCain at the deadline. He scored 26 points Wednesday in the Thunder’s 10th straight win. 

Edgecombe shows star qualities

The Sixers’ starters were strong to finish the second quarter.

Grimes was especially excellent. He followed two driving layups with a pull-up three and posted 20 points over the first two quarters. The Sixers led by nine at halftime. 

All of the Sixers’ primary scorers maintained their momentum in the second half. Edgecombe continued to make savvy passes, too. He drove and kicked the ball out to Drummond for a three that stretched the Sixers’ lead to 107-89 late in the third quarter.

Edgecombe hit a handful of impressive mid-range shots in Sacramento. He often makes it look routine, but Edgecombe’s hang time and sense of how to glide, fade and twist his way into mid-range hoops is a fantastic combination.

A large part of Edgecombe’s pre-draft allure was both his sizable collection of NBA-ready traits and the question of what he’d look like at his best. There’s many factors pointing to much more growth to come. Edgecombe’s an immensely talented 20-year-old with a knack for rapid learning.

Edwards and Edgecombe each reached their new scoring highs with long-range jumpers in the fourth quarter. Edgecombe sat next to Maxey and chatted with his All-Star teammate for the final few minutes. At the final buzzer, Maxey made sure to secure the game ball.