These numbers tell the true story of Joel Embiid’s historic 70-point night
The Sixers' center has been on a scoring tear, putting together a long string of unforgettable performances that culminated in a 70-point outburst. These are the numbers behind that performance.
The “M-V-P” chants started well before he notched his final points Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
Sixers superstar Joel Embiid, the reigning NBA MVP and six-time NBA All-Star, orchestrated a generational performance — a franchise-record 70 points, 18 rebounds, and five assists — in a 133-123 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
Here are five numbers that help tell the story of Embiid’s historic outing:
9
Embiid is just the ninth player in NBA history to score 70 points, joining Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell, Damian Lillard, David Robinson, Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, David Thompson, and Kobe Bryant.
Embiid tallied 24 points in the first quarter, 10 in the second, 25 in the third, and 11 in the fourth.
“The time that it kind of hit me, I thought, was the start of the third,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said. “I think he had a bucket and an and-1, like in the first minute. I was like, ‘Wait a minute, he’s already got like 37, 38, something like that.’ I was like, ‘Geez, that’s a lot, with a whole half to go.’
“I thought, ‘This is probably going to be a big number tonight.’ Obviously, he can score in so many ways. His sheer size gets him a lot of stuff around the basket and a lot of free throws. His shooting touch, the skill part makes it extra hard to stop him. When he moves, with his skill, his size...he gets motivated and anything can happen.”
91%
Embiid shot 24 for 41 (58.6%) from the field and 21 of 23 (91%) from the free-throw line against the Spurs.
It was the third-highest foul shooting percentage ever in a 70-point game behind Lillard’s 100% (14 of 14) in his 71-point performance against the Houston Rockets on Feb. 26, 2023, and Booker’s 92% (24 of 26) in his 70-point outing versus the Boston Celtics on March 24, 2017.
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Embiid’s 21 free throws also were the third-most in a 70-point game behind Chamberlain (28) and Booker (24).
“It was just a great night,” Embiid said. “I had it going. I mentioned a few times, that a lot of teammates are extremely unselfish and they just kept giving me the ball, and I just finished it.”
Here’s where he scored the rest of his points.
34.2
Embiid was extremely efficient as he notched 70 points in just 36 minutes, and 38 seconds, the fastest time ever by any 70-point scorer.
The 2014 first-round pick out of Kansas is currently averaging 34.2 minutes per game, which ranks 36th in the NBA. Other NBA stars who currently log more playing time than Embiid include Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis, Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Zach LaVine, Demar DeRozan, Anthony Edwards, Kawhi Leonard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, LeBron James, and Embiid’s teammate Tyrese Maxey, who leads the league at 37.7 minutes per contest.
Embiid is on pace to set a new NBA record for points per minute played (1.05). Through 32 games, he has 1,156 points over 1,096 minutes.
36.1
Embiid, who has claimed the NBA scoring title in back-to-back seasons, leads the league with 36.1 points per game. That’s three points better than his average from last season (33.1) which saw him earn MVP, All-Star, and All-NBA First Team accolades.
“We cannot take this for granted. Even if you’re not a fan of Philadelphia, if you’re just a fan of basketball, you can’t take Jo for granted, man,” Maxey said. “What he’s doing right now is special. He’s not just doing it off layups, he’s not doing it off just 3s. He’s doing it off every single thing. He’s making free throws. He’s doing so much out there…he’s anchoring the defense as well. He’s not taking any nights off on defense.
“We appreciate him. And everybody else should appreciate him, as well.”
5.9
Not only has Embiid been on a scoring tear, but also the 7-foot-2 center also has been a valuable distributor within Nurse’s offense. Embiid is averaging a career-high 5.9 assists per game. His previous high was 4.2 assists, which he has averaged in each of the past two seasons.
While Embiid finished with a career-high 70 points, a season-high 18 rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one block — he also committed just one turnover against the Spurs.
“It was great ... what I accomplished [considering] the history of this league and basketball in general,” Embiid said. “The only thing I told my teammates was, ‘Please, don’t force it. Let’s just play basketball. If I’m open, pass it. If I’m not, make sure you make the right play.’”