Big Men Break Records in NBA on the Same Night
History is made in Philadelphia as reigning MVP Joel Embiid welcomes No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama to the league with a 70-point game. Embiid’s masterpiece surpasses the great Wilt Chamberlain’s as the newest highest-scoring single game in 76ers history. Chamberlain, famous for scoring 100 points in a single NBA game with the Warriors, had his best night of 68 points for the 76ers, a record that has stood since 1967. The newest great big man in Philadelphia is making his case for consecutive MVP awards with this highest-scoring game of his career, carrying his squad to a 133-123 win over the Spurs.
Before the game, San Antonio Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich was asked “What he is looking forward to the most with this being the first time Joel goes up against Victor?” Coach Popovich did not hold back in response, saying, “We’re going to hammer his a**.” Unfortunately for the Spurs, this was not executed as planned. Embiid had a field day from the beginning of the game, starting the first quarter hot with 24 points. San Antonio had no answer for the MVP’s performance, as Embiid shot an impressive 24-41, to go along with 18 rebounds and five assists on his way to 70 points. With this historic night, Embiid becomes the 10th different player to score 70 points in a single NBA game, and the latest since Damian Lillard on February 26, 2023.
Embiid wasn’t the only big man to set a franchise record tonight. His cross-conference rival Karl-Anthony Towns had a career game himself. The Timberwolves hosted the Charlotte Hornets at the Target Center, where Towns exploded for 62 points, beating his own franchise record of 60. Unlike his 60-point game against the San Antonio Spurs, the Hornets played spoiler to Towns’ historic night, defeating the Timberwolves 128-125.
Towns started out on fire, breaking Kobe Bryant’s record of most points in one half since 1997 with 44, including making his first eight shots from three-point land. Unfortunately for Towns and the Timberwolves, the second half got the best of them. With 1.7 seconds left on the clock, Towns had a chance to tie the game with a long-range three-pointer but came up with nothing. Although the Timberwolves could not walk away with the win, they remain at the top of the Western Conference, and Towns added a new career-high to his belt.
