Influx of huge scoring nights by stars like Joel Embiid and the Bulls’ Zach LaVine shouldn’t come as a shock
Sure the Sixers' defense isn't perfect. But the fact that they gave up two recent monster performances isn't necessarily a concern, judging by league trends.
Exactly one week after the New Orleans Pelicans’ CJ McCollum torched the 76ers for 11 three-pointers, the Chicago Bulls’ Zach LaVine did the same thing.
On both occasions, the Sixers’ defenders were helpless in what could be a signal of a bigger problem than just someone having a hot shooting night.
So after LaVine’s 41-point performance in the Sixers’ 126-112 loss on Friday night, coach Doc Rivers was asked if surrendering these types of scoring nights twice in five games is a concern.
“No,” he quickly responded. “The whole league is having career nights right now. Every night, someone has a career night. My guess is that Zach LaVine won’t even be the highest scorer in the league tonight. And that’s a shocking statement to make when you think about it.”
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LaVine’s points at the Wells Fargo Center did end up as Friday night’s highest scoring total around the NBA. However, Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier was a close second at 39 points, followed by the Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant (33), the New York Knicks’ Julius Randle (32), and the Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young (32).
“I think what the league is doing is what everyone is doing,” Rivers said. “They feed the old hot guy and they stay with him. They keep it in his hands more than the league has ever done that. And then you try to do something about it.”
The Sixers (23-15) did try to make an adjustment. But it backfired on them when the Bulls’ Patrick Williams took advantage of his open looks, draining all seven of his shots to score 16 points in the third quarter.
While the Sixers do have to shore up things, NBA teams have been better at scoring this season. And that’s as a team and individually.
This season, the average team was scoring 113.6 points per 100 possessions through Friday night’s games, according to Basketball Reference. That’s the highest such mark in league history and more than 1.6 points better than last season’s pace.
Meanwhile, individual scoring explosions are becoming commonplace.
We’ve already seen 14 50-point games by 10 different players before the midway mark of the season.
There was a time when Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point night in 1962 seemed like an unbreakable record. It still might be. But one has to wonder if Kobe Bryant’s 81-point performance in 2006 will be eclipsed before the end of the season.
Anything is possible, considering Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell scored 71 points in an overtime victory over LaVine and the Bulls on Monday night.
Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Dončić posted the NBA’s first 60-point, 20-rebound and 10-assist triple-double, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokoumpo scored a career-best 55 points, and Mitchell posted his performance — all in the past two weeks.
Sixers center Joel Embiid joins Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and Dončić as the only players to score at least 50 points multiple times this season. Embiid had a career-best 59 points against the Utah Jazz on Nov. 13 before finishing with 53 against the Hornets on Dec. 11. Booker scored at least 50 points twice, while Dončić accomplished the feat three times. (Embiid will miss his third straight game with a sore left foot on Sunday in Detroit.)
And for the first time since the 1994-95 season, two teammates have scored at least 50 points during the same season.
Cleveland has Mitchell and point guard Darius Garland (51) and Golden State Warriors guards Steph Curry (50) and Klay Thompson (54) also hit the half-century mark.
So, LaVine’s 41 and McCollum’s 42 (with a career-best 11 threes) against the Sixers aren’t as shocking or as crazy as it sounds.
James Harden, a three-time scoring champion and 2018 league MVP, knows what it’s like to drop a 50 spot.
The Sixers point guard has 23 such career outings, ranking fourth in NBA history behind Chamberlain (118), Michael Jordan (31), and Kobe Bryant (25).
Harden was asked Friday why he thinks individual scoring outbursts are happening more frequently this season.
“Better talent,” he said. “It’s pretty simple. Guys are just getting better, man. I love to see it. It makes the game more exciting. The fans are definitely excited about it.
“That’s what we get paid for. So it’s definitely a good thing to see. I don’t know if it’s bad defense or great playing. But guys are just getting better.”