JOEL EMBIID SET a new Philadelphia 76ers scoring record after plundering 70 points in a 133-123 victory over San Antonio Spurs.
Embiid, who had 34 points to his name by half-time, is just the ninth player in NBA history to reach 70 points in a single game.
The Cameroonian also had 18 rebounds and made five assists, while the Spurs’ 20-year-old French sensation Victor Wembanyama was left in his shadow with a more than decent 33-point haul.
Embiid’s feat came 18 years to the day since Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game for the Los Angeles Lakers – the second highest in NBA history.
The 29-year-old told the NBA’s official website: “From the time I started playing, Kobe was my guy. He’s the reason why I started playing basketball.
AN HISTORIC 70-POINT NIGHT FOR JOEL EMBIID 👏
— NBA (@NBA) January 23, 2024
✅ 76ers franchise record
✅ 9th player in NBA history to score 70+
✅ A new career high
70 PTS, 18 REB, 24/41 FGM, 21/23 FTM pic.twitter.com/gDKY2E9bVA
70 PIECE NUGGET!!!! @JoelEmbiid 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🫡. CRAZY
— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 23, 2024
“It’s funny, on the same night, he got 81 and that was my favourite player.”
Although he bettered the Sixers’ previous best of 68, held by Wilt Chamberlain, Embiid remains some distance short of Chamberlain’s remarkable NBA record of 100 points in a single game set in 1962 when playing for the Philadelphia Warriors.
Embiid’s feat came on the same night as Karl-Anthony Towns set a new Minnesota Timberwolves high of 62 points in a 128-125 defeat by Charlotte Hornets.
