A wild pig performance! Monday evening, Philadelphia pivot Joel Embiid, NBA MVP last season, entered a very exclusive club: that of players who have achieved the feat of scoring 70 points or more in a game. And it was against Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs, beaten 133-123 by Embiid and his gang. Well, there, almost by Embiid altogether.
Before him, only eight players had scored 70 points or more in an NBA game: legend Wilt Chamberlain (record holder, with 100 points scored in 1962), Lakers winger Elgin Baylor (1960), Denver winger David Thompson (1978), Spurs center David Robinson (1994), Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (2006), and finally, three players still active, Phoenix guard Devin Booker (2017) and Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell (2023), and Bucks Damian Lillard, then in Portland (2023).
To his 70 points (24/41 on shots, 21/23 on free throws), Embiid added 18 rebounds and 5 assists, for a 133-123 victory against the San Antonio Spurs of Victor Wembanyama, who did not deserve , with 33 points and 7 rebounds. “It feels good,” Embiid commented after the victory, thanking his “extremely generous” teammates. “I was hot, they just gave me the ball and made sure I was always in the best positions. And hats off to the staff too, I’m surrounded by extraordinary people! »
Embiid dubs “Wemby”
“He can score in so many different ways,” praised his coach Nick Nurse. “His size (2.13 m) gives him a wide range of possibilities near the backboard and allows him to get free throws. And his shooting touch is what makes him very difficult to stop. When he’s motivated like that, anything can happen. »
Embiid’s performance helped the Sixers record a sixth straight victory. With 29 wins and 13 losses, they are in third place in the Eastern Conference. Opposite, despite the solid performance of “Wemby”, the Spurs suffered their 35th defeat of the season, for only 8 victories. They are last in the Western Conference. “He’s incredible, he’s great,” Embiid commented about the French rookie, whom he faced Monday night for the first time. For me, he is already one of the best players in the League, he obviously has a great future awaiting him. » Even if, on Monday, the star was first and foremost him.
What the French giant did not hide after the match. “Several years ago, we mainly saw the leaders, but now we are coming back to the pivots,” he analyzed afterwards. Some guys are able to do a lot of things despite being big, and the game evolves that way. You have to adapt. It would have been more fun with the victory, but he (Embiid) is obviously very inspiring. »