Payne, Edgecombe help 76ers rally to a 139-129 win over the Grizzlies

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Cam Payne scored 13 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, rookie VJ Edgecombe added 21 points in his return to the lineup and the Philadelphia 76ers rallied to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 139-129 on Tuesday night.

Kelly Oubre Jr. had 31 points and 12 rebounds and Quentin Grimes scored 22 points for the 76ers, who were without All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. Maxey will be sidelined for at least three weeks because of a tendon injury on the small finger of his right hand, the team announced before the game.

Edgecombe took over point guard duties for Maxey after missing three consecutive games with a lumbar contusion. He provided the game's highlight, showing his back is OK, with a two-handed, leaping dunk midway through the second quarter.

Ty Jerome scored 26 points for the Grizzlies, who have lost five straight and 12 of 15.

Jerome's 3-pointer with 9:34 remaining put Memphis ahead 115-107 before the 76ers took control. Memphis went without a point for nearly 3 1/2 minutes, and Philadelphia scored 12 in a row to go in front 119-115 with 6:29 to play on Payne's 3. The 76ers continued to roll, with Dominick Barlow's three-point play making it 128-117 with 4:56 left.

The Grizzlies' frustration showed near the end, as Jerome was ejected for receiving a pair of technical fouls with 1:18 remaining.

Also sidelined for Philadelphia were Embiid (right oblique strain) and Paul George (league suspension). Embiid missed his fifth straight contest, and coach Nick Nurse said beforehand that the 2023 MVP would be reevaluated later this week. George is a couple weeks away from returning from a 25-game suspension for violating the terms of the NBA’s anti-drug program.

Memphis, which entered seven games back of the final playoff spot in the West, had more players out (11) than in uniform (10).

Grizzlies: Host Dallas on Thursday.

76ers: At Detroit on Thursday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Philadelphia 76ers' Kelly Oubre Jr. (9), Memphis Grizzlies' Olivier-Maxence Prosper (18) and Cedric Coward battle for the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Philadelphia 76ers' Kelly Oubre Jr., top left, Memphis Grizzlies' Cedric Coward, right, and Olivier-Maxence Prosper battle for the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Memphis Grizzlies' Cedric Coward (23) goes up to shoot against Philadelphia 76ers' Adem Bona during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Philadelphia 76ers' Adem Bona (30) tips the ball past Memphis Grizzlies' Olivier-Maxence Prosper during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Memphis Grizzlies' Taylor Hendricks, left, tries to get a shot past Philadelphia 76ers' Dominick Barlow during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

LONDON (AP) — The British government on Wednesday published a batch of documents related to the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the U.S., as police investigate potential misconduct stemming from the ex-diplomat’s ties to the late Jeffrey Epstein.

The 147-page release was published Wednesday on the government website.

Lawmakers have forced Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government to disclose thousands of files about the decision to name Mandelson to the key diplomatic post at the start of U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, despite a past friendship with the convicted sex offender.

The government has said the files will show that Mandelson misled officials about the extent of the relationship. But Starmer is facing a political storm over his decision to give him the Washington job.

Mandelson, 72, a former Cabinet minister, ambassador and elder statesman of the governing Labour Party, was arrested Feb. 23 at his London home on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He has been released without bail conditions as the police investigation continues.

He has previously denied wrongdoing and hasn’t been charged. He does not face allegations of sexual misconduct.

Cabinet minister Darren Jones said the “first tranche of documents” will be published Wednesday afternoon.

The documents are being published in batches after review by Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee. Police have asked the government not to release files that could compromise their criminal investigation into Mandelson.

“The documents that will be published today later to Parliament will provide full transparency about the appointments process, bar one document that has been held back by the Metropolitan Police because of an ongoing criminal investigation,” Jones told broadcaster ITV.

Starmer fired Mandelson in September after an earlier release of documents showed he had maintained contact with Epstein after the financier's 2008 conviction for sexual offenses involving a minor.

Further details about Mandelson's ties with Epstein, revealed in a huge trove of files published by the U.S. Department of Justice in January, drove opponents and even some members of Starmer’s Labour Party to call for the prime minister’s resignation. Starmer survived the immediate danger, but his position remains fragile, even though he never met Epstein and is not implicated in his crimes.

Starmer has apologized to Epstein’s victims and said he was sorry for “having believed Mandelson’s lies.”

The Epstein files suggest that Mandelson sent market-sensitive information to the convicted sex offender when he was the U.K. government’s business secretary after the 2008 financial crisis.

That includes an internal government report discussing ways the U.K. could raise money, including by selling off government assets. Mandelson also appears to have told Epstein he would lobby other members of the government to reduce a tax on bankers’ bonuses.

Mandelson is also facing a separate probe by the European Union’s anti-fraud office for the time he spent as the bloc’s trade representative.

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves 10 Downing Street to attend the weekly Prime Ministers' Questions session in parliament in London, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Peter Mandelson, the former U.K. ambassador to the United States, leaves his house in London, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Peter Mandelson, the former U.K. ambassador to the United States, leaves his house in London, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Peter Mandelson, the former U.K. ambassador to the United States, leaves his house in London, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)