Joel Embiid scored a franchise-record 70 points to lead the Philadelphia 76ers a 133-123 victory Monday night against the San Antonio Spurs.
Embiid also posted a career-high with 18 rebounds. He was 24 of 41 from the field, including 1 of 2 from three-point range, and made 21 of 23 free throws. He broke Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain’s 76ers record of 68 points, set in December 1967, with a layup with 1:41 to play.
Chamberlain played for the Philadelphia Warriors when he set the NBA record with 100 points in 1962.
Embiid is a six-time All-Star and reigning league MVP, scoring at least 30 points in 21 consecutive games. The 76ers have won six in a row.
Rookie Victor Wembanyama had 33 points and seven rebounds in 29 minutes in the first game between the 7-footers. The rebuilding Spurs fell to 5-19 on the road.
Embiid said playing against Wembanyama every night added motivation to his mission.
“I wouldn’t sit here and lie to you, but that’s my mentality every game,” Embiid said afterward on the local TV broadcast. “My mentality is to attack, dominate offensively and defensively, so tonight was no different.”
Embiid had matched his career high of 59 points through three quarters and re-entered the game with 6:38 left and Philadelphia ahead 118-104. With the record in sight, the 76ers gave him the ball at every opportunity.
“Obviously he can score in so many ways, just his size he gets a lot of stuff to the basket and he gets a lot of free throws,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. “The shooting touch is the skill part. The way he moves, the skill he has, the size he has, and he gets so motivated, anything can happen, I think.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo had the previous high in the NBA this season with 64 points.
All eyes were on Embiid and Wembanyama even before the first tip-off, as fans lined the pitch to watch Spurs’ French phenomenon warm up. The home fans already know what Embiid can do, and the Philadelphia star might have wanted to keep them from forgetting.
“It will be interesting for all of us to see it for the first time,” Nurse said before the game.
Electrification might have been a better adjective.
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“Of course it would have been nicer with a win, but it is inspiring, especially offensively,” Wembanyama said.
Embiid hit a 13-footer over Wembanyama 1:11 into the game. The Spurs rookie responded impressively, making a pair of 3-pointers within 27 seconds of each other, then finished off an alley-oop dunk before going to the bench with 6:27 left in the first for two fouls.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich joked before the game that the Spurs plan against Embiid was to “hammer his (butt). I told Wemby to back it over the edge and just throw it through the edge.
But it was clear from the start that nothing would work. Embiid had 24 points on 8-for-12 shooting in the first quarter.
Embiid wasn’t the only record setter on Monday night. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 62 points, including 44 in the first half, to set a pair of franchise records for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Towns surpassed his previous career best of 60, which was also Minnesota’s record. However, the Wolves lost 128-125 to the Charlotte Hornets. Towns finished 21 of 35 from the field, 10 of 15 from three-point range and 10 of 14 from the foul line. He missed a three at the buzzer. The NBA record for first-half points is shared by David Thompson and George Gervin with 53.