Joel Embiid, star of the Philadelphia 76ers, made waves tonight against the San Antonio Spurs, clearly motivated by his matchup with 20-year-old rookie Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama may have a bright future ahead of him, but Embiid reiterated that there are levels to reach superstardom in the NBA and the Spurs rookie is not yet at his level.
The 76ers star scored a career-high 70 points, to which he added 18 rebounds and five assists in the 133 to 123 win. In doing so, the reigning MVP set some impressive records that put into perspective how historic his performance tonight against the Spurs was.
All records
Joel Embiid became only the second player in NBA history to record at least 65 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists in a single game, joining Michael Jordan as the only player to do so. Jordan, as you may recall, scored a career-high 69 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1990, and for the 76ers star to record higher numbers than what many consider the greatest player of all time is nothing short of phenomenal.
Only players in NBA history to record 65+ points, 15+ rebounds, and 5+ assists in a game:
🏀 Michael Jordan
🏀 Joel Embiid pic.twitter.com/MH5nZm81Xw– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 23, 2024
Embiid also ended the first 70/15/5 game in NBA history, according to StatMuse; there have only been 14 instances in NBA history when a player has scored 70 or more points (including the 76ers star’s latest masterpiece), and this achievement proves that Embiid is unique in the statistics department.
Embiid tonight:
70 PTS (franchise record)
18 REB
5 AST (1 TOV)The first 70/15/5 game in NBA history. https://t.co/wyWqdz4vtq
– StatMuse (@statmuse) January 23, 2024
The records don’t end there for Embiid. After scoring the 69th and 70th points of the night with a driving layup over Keldon Johnson, the reigning MVP set the 76ers’ franchise record for the most points scored in a single game. Given the number of legends the 76ers have in their illustrious history (Allen Iverson, Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Charles Barkley, to name a few), this is no small feat for the 29-year-old superstar.
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