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Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid shot 70 points to lead his side to a 133-123 victory over rivals San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, January 23 (IST). Apart from this, Embiid also recorded a career-high 18 rebounds. Embiid recorded 21 off 23 free arrows and with it, broke the record of Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 68 points. Chamberlain had set the record in December 1967, more than 56 years ago, in a clash against the Chicago Bulls.
Apart from it, “The Process” also joined Michael Jordan as the only two players to record at least 65 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists in a single game. On the other hand, Karl-Anthony Towns recorded a franchise record 62 points while scoring 44 points in the first half of the game. However, his effort fell short as the Hornets stunned Minnesota to record a 128-125 victory. The night marked a special night as it was the 18th anniversary of Kobe Bryant's 81-point game for the Los Angeles Lakers, the second-best scoring game in the NBA.
In addition to it, the game night was recorded as the fourth night in the NBA, where two players scored at least 60 points. After the match, Embiid reflected upon his performance and when he was asked about any special preparation, he gave a very casual reaction. Embiid said, “Well, tonight I didn’t prepare myself. I didn’t warm up.” He also said, “I wouldn’t sit here and lie to you, but that’s my mindset every single game. My mindset is to attack, dominate offensively and defensively, so tonight was no different.”
Speaking on the late NBA player, the 29-year-old said, “From the time I started playing, Kobe was my guy." He added, “He's the reason why I started playing basketball. It's funny, on the same night, he got 81 and that was my favorite player.”
