Joel Embiid breaks Wilt Chamberlain’s 76ers record with 70-point game

Joel Embiid scored 70 in Philadelphia. Karl-Anthony Towns had 62 around the midpoint of the fourth quarter in Minnesota.

Mark it down: Jan. 22, 2024, was a day unlike almost any other in NBA history.

On the 18th anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game for the Los Angeles Lakers — the second-best scoring game in NBA history — Embiid and Towns put on a scoring show of their own with a pair of career-high, franchise-record efforts.

Embiid’s 70 points set the 76ers’ record in Philadelphia’s 133-123 win over San Antonio. Towns scored his 62nd point — two more than his previous career best and Wolves record — on a layup with 5:27 left in Minnesota’s game against Charlotte.

It all meant Monday was the fourth day in NBA history where two players scored at least 60 points in the same day. The others were April 9, 1978, (David Thompson had 73, George Gervin had 63), Jan. 17, 1962, (Jerry West scored 63, Wilt Chamberlain scored 62) and Dec. 8, 1961 (Chamberlain had 78 and Elgin Baylor had 63 in a triple-overtime game against one another).

Embiid also set a career high with 18 rebounds. He was 24 of 41 from the field, including 1 of 2 from 3-point range, and made 21 of 23 free throws. He broke Chamberlain’s franchise record of 68 points, set on Dec. 16, 1967, with a layup with one minute 41 seconds to play.

Chamberlain was playing for the Philadelphia Warriors when he set the NBA record with 100 points.

A six-time all-star and the league’s reigning MVP, Embiid has scored at least 30 points in 21 consecutive games. The 76ers have won six in a row.

Embiid had tied his career high of 59 points through three quarters and re-entered the contest with 6:38 left and Philadelphia ahead 118-104. With the record in sight, the 76ers were feeding him the ball at every opportunity.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had the previous high game in the NBA this season with 64 points.