Sixers’ Joel Embiid: ‘Pretty cool’ to be in ‘same conversation’ as Wilt Chamberlain with 70-point game

Victor Wembanyama is the future of the NBA, but Joel Embiid is the present.

On Monday, the 76ers center showed Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs why he’s arguably the face of the league.

Embiid finished with a franchise-record 70 points to go along with 18 rebounds and five assists to lead the Sixers to a 133-123 victory at the Wells Fargo Center. He surpassed Wilt Chamberlain’s previous record of 68 points.

Monday was the 18th anniversary of Kobe Bryant scoring 81 points against the Toronto Raptors. That’s the second-most points in NBA history behind Chamberlain’s 100 points against the New York Knicks as a Philadelphia Warrior in Hershey.

“Seventy is crazy,” Sixers reserve center Paul Reed said. “Honestly, I thought he was going to get 80. I wanted to see him get 80 and beat Kobe Bryant’s record. But you know, 70 is cool. I ain’t going to lie. I feel like he’s going to break that sooner or later.”

Embiid’s 70 points ties Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (March 24, 2017) and Chamberlain (March 10, 1963 with the San Francisco Warriors) for the 12th-most points in league history.

Embiid scored 24 points in the first quarter and 25 in the third. During that time, the sellout crowd chanted, “MVP!... MVP!... MVP!” whenever he went to the foul line and at the conclusion of the quarter.

Embiid accounted for 71.4% of the Sixers’ points in the third: 25 points, two assists with five points created from assists.

He scored 11 more in the fourth quarter.

Sixers coach Nick Nurse said it hit him in the start of the third quarter that Embiid was in the midst of a special night.

”He had like a bucket and and-one in like the first minute. And I was like, wait a minute, he’s already got 30-whatever 37, 38, or something like that,” Nurse said. “I was like, geez that’s a lot with a whole half to go. … I was like, this is probably going to be a big moment tonight.”

This marked the 21st consecutive game with at least 30 points for Embiid. The reigning MVP broke a tie with Chamberlain for the fifth-longest such streak in NBA history.

“It was great, obviously, what I accomplished,” Embiid said. “A lot of things, I mean everything, the history of this league and basketball in general. To be in the same conversation of [Chamberlain], that’s pretty cool. And they gave me a stat that I’m surprised he’s never done.

“But it was just a great night, and I had it going. I mentioned a lot of times teammates are extremely unselfish. They kept giving me the ball and I just finished it.”

He made 24 of 41 shots. Embiid had never attempted more than 32 shots in a game before Monday. He had 32 against the Charlotte Hornets on Dec. 11, 2022. Before than, he had 32 against the Spurs on Jan. 23, 2022 and vs. the Clippers on Oct. 1, 2018.

Tyrese Maxey had 18 points and eight assists for the Sixers, while Tobias Harris added 14 points and six assists.

Meanwhile, Wembanyama, the Spurs 7-foot-4 do-everything-rookie forward, finished with 33 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

The victory improved the Sixers to 29-13 and extended their winning streak to six games. San Antonio dropped to 8-35. It was the Spurs’ first loss in six games.

But this night was all about the head-to-head matchup between Embiid and Wembanyama.

While the first overall pick in June’s draft played well, Embiid was without question the star of the night. Wembanyama’s length gave Embiid something to think about. But the six-time All-Star did a solid job of getting the rookie in the air and drawing fouls on him.

Embiid made 21 of 23 foul shots in what was his third 50-plus-point performance of the season and eighth of his career.

But the Sixers know Wembanyama is a special player and will be a force for seasons to come.

The Sixers had planned to have four guys defending him at various times. They also planned for the Spurs to make switches, leading to more players defending Wembanyama. Nico Batum, Kelly Oubre Jr., Paul Reed and Harris guarded him.

Nurse said the thing that has jumped out to him the most about the 20-year-old Frenchman is how fast he cuts.

“Like he’ll backdoor you a lot,” Nurse said. “He’ll come off screens like with the pace of a wing player and move himself all the way across the floor to the other side of the lane with some pace. And his stop-start for someone of his size has impressed me, too.”

Wembanyama did a solid job early of defending Embiid, making the 7-foot-2 center look small. He also put his versatility on display, draining back-to-back three-pointers to give the Spurs a 12-5 lead. They were his first two shot attempts.

After missing a 7-foot hook shot, Wembanyama was fouled by Embiid on what would have been his fourth attempt. He made both free throws to give the Spurs a 16-12 advantage.

His third basket came when he went backdoor on Batum to score an alley-oop. He ended up with 10 first-quarter points before leaving at the 6:27 mark after picking up his second foul.

Wembanyama returned at the start of the second quarter, scoring two quick buckets on a hook shot and a dunk.

But he was nothing more than a footnote on Embiid’s record-setting night. Chamberlain had scored 68 points versus the Chicago Bulls on Dec. 16, 1967. Monday’s performance should go a long way in Embiid’s quest for a second-straight MVP season if he stays healthy.

Wembanyama is battling Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren for the rookie of the year.

Batum, a fellow Frenchman, was one of the first people to spot Wembanyama as a 16-year-old.

So what stands out to Batum about the rookie?

“Everything,” he said. “I mean the talent he has is already crazy. The skill set he has is already crazy. And at [20] years to already be [that talented is] crazy. But to do it at 7-4.”

Batum has been following Wembanyama for the past five seasons. He said it’s funny to see his growth. He said his countryman reminds him of a lot of guys.

“I will say the first time I met him he was 16,” Batum said. “I really like trying to concentrate on him. I’m like, ‘[Dang], we got [Kristaps] Porziņģis, but playing like [Kevin Durant].’ We have Porziņģis and actually KD out there, and moving like Giannis [Antetokounmpo].

“I used to say that and people were like, ‘Nah!’ Now, they understand it.”

The thing that has surprised Spurs coach Gregg Popovich the most was Wembanyama’s ability to adjust to the physicality of the game quicker than expected.

“He’s pretty slight,” Popovich said. “In the very beginning it was tough for him as hard as he would receive physically. Now, he knows how to absorb it, how to use it and how to deal with it. Everything else was pretty obvious. He’s a skilled player. [He] needed a little bit more consistency and discipline and those sorts of things.”

The Sixers are off until facing the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. That matchup will be the first of a five-game road trip covering nine days. Thursday’s game will mark the third meeting of the season between the Sixers and Pacers.

Maxey scored a career-high 50 points to lead the Sixers to a 137-126 victory on Nov. 12 at The Center. Two days later, the Pacers prevailed 132-126 on the Sixers’ home court.