- Embiid made 24 field goals and 21 free throws in the career-high evening
- The reigning NBA MVP is well on his way to repeating as the league’s best player
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Joel Embiid scored an historic 70 points against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, his career high – just the ninth player in NBA history to reach the landmark.
The 70-point effort is also a franchise record, passing Wilt Chamberlain. All of Chamberlain’s 70-plus point performances came with the Warriors. The 76ers defeated the Spurs 133-123, with Embiid shooting 24-for-41 from the field.
Embiid added 21-of-23 free throws to hit the elusive 70-point milestone and after the win, the reigning MVP was doused in water by his teammates as they jokingly helped him cool down.
Among active players, only Damian Lillard and Donovan Mitchell have scored more in a game, with both hitting 71 last year.
‘I was actually mad at myself because I missed a lot of easy shots that I´ve been making all season,’ Embiid said after the game.
Embiid scored a dazzling career-high 70 points on Monday against the San Antonio Spurs
Teammates hilariously poured water over him after the game to jokingly ‘cool him off’
Reigning MVP Embiid propelled the 76ers to a 10-point win over the Spurs on Monday night
But as much as Embiid looked like he enjoyed the game, he was less fond of the celebrations
‘My mindset is to attack, dominate offensively and defensively, so tonight was no different.
”I wouldn’t sit here and lie to you, but that´s my mindset every single game. The only thing I told my teammates was, ‘Please don´t force it,'”. Let´s just play basketball. We were just trying to play the right way.’
On the 18th anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game for the Los Angeles Lakers – the second-best scoring game in NBA history – Embiid put on a dazzling, historic scoring show.
‘From the time I started playing, Kobe was my guy,’ Embiid said.
‘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.’
Before the game started, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich knew Victor Wembanyama, his star rookie center, could be in for a long night against a prime veteran like Embiid.
So, instead, Popovich decided to make a hysterical joke.
‘We’re going to hammer his a**,’ Popvich joked about Embiid.
Embiid commemorates his historic triumph in the locker room after the game on Monday
Embiid outshone Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs as his team won 133-123
‘I told Wemby to stick him. Put you butt right in his stomach, back him down over the rim and just throw him threw the rim. That’s what you can look forward to tonight.’
Obviously, that didn’t happen, although Wembanyama did score an impressive 33 points when drawing one of the toughest defensive assignments of his career.
Embiid is in the middle of another MVP-caliber season, averaging 35 points and 11.4 rebounds per game coming into Monday’s win.
Timberwolves’ star Karl-Anthony Towns scored 62 points Monday night, in a losing effort to Charlotte.