INGLEWOOD, Calif. \u2013 Philadelphia rookie V.J. Edgecombe led Team Vince to victory in the Rising Stars event at NBA All-Star weekend Friday night, scoring 17 points in the semifinal before hitting two free throws to end the final.<\/p>\n
San Antonio guard Dylan Harper ended the first semifinal in memorable fashion by scoring the game-winning bucket over Ron Harper Jr., his older brother.<\/p>\n
Dylan Harper then scored eight points in the final for Team Melo while teaming up with his Spurs teammate, Stephon Castle, last season\u2019s Rookie of the Year.<\/p>\n
Castle made a putback dunk off Jeremiah Fears\u2019 miss to pull Team Melo within one point of victory in the final, but Edgecombe drew a foul from Donovan Clingan and coolly hit both free throws to end it at 25-24. Edgecombe was named the Rising Stars MVP.<\/p>\n
The NBA’s rookies, sophomores and G League prospects opened the All-Star weekend at the Los Angeles Clippers’ Intuit Dome with this four-team tournament of three games played to a set point total.<\/p>\n
Dylan Harper called game in the first semifinal with a succession of moves that could have been learned on the driveway at home, bullying Ron Jr. into the paint before hitting a step-back jumper. Dylan stuck out his tongue in gleeful celebration of only his second basket in the semifinal, and their famous father laughed heartily at courtside.<\/p>\n
Edgecombe scored nearly half of his team’s 41 points \u2014 including the last 10 in a row \u2014 while winning the second semifinal to set up a showdown between the teams led by NBA greats Vince Carter and Carmelo Anthony.<\/p>\n