Joel Embiid put on a performance for the ages — and thought it could’ve been even better.
Embiid scored a franchise-record 70 points, the most in the NBA this season, to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 133-123 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night.
He was 24 of 41 from the field, including 1 of 2 from 3-point range, and made 21 of 23 free throws. Embiid also set a career high with 18 rebounds. He broke Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain’s 76ers record of 68 points, set on Dec. 16, 1967, making a layup with 1:41 to play.
“I was actually mad at myself because I missed a lot of easy shots that I’ve been making all season,” he said.
Chamberlain was playing for the Philadelphia Warriors when he set the NBA record with 100 points.
“Obviously, Wilt accomplished a lot of things,” Embiid said. “To be in the same conversation is pretty cool. It was just a great night. Had it going. They just kept giving me the ball, and I just finished it.”
A six-time All-Star and the league’s reigning MVP, Embiid has scored at least 30 points in 21 consecutive games. The 76ers have won six in a row.
“The only thing I told my teammates was, ‘Please don’t force it,’” he said. “Let’s just play basketball. We were just trying to play the right way.”
Embiid had tied his career high of 59 points through three quarters and re-entered the contest with 6:38 left and Philadelphia ahead 118-104. With the record in sight, the 76ers were feeding him the ball at every opportunity.
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“The game was still pretty close,” Embiid said. “Felt like I needed to go back in. Once I got back in, I was like, ‘There’s my chance. Might as well go and do it.’”
Philadelphia first-year coach Nick Nurse marveled at Embiid’s performance.
“Obviously he can score in so many ways, just his sheer size gets him a lot of stuff around the basket, gets him a lot of free throws,” Nurse said. “The shooting touch is the skill part. The way he moves, the skill he has, the size he is, and he gets motivated like that, anything can happen I guess.”
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
