On the 18th anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors, the NBA had another historic night for two franchises. The Philadelphia 76ers and the Minnesota Timberwolves had players who broke franchise scoring records.
Joel Embiid – Philadelphia 76ers
Joel Embiid, who has been putting on a scoring clinic all season, performed his career-best against the San Antonio Spurs. He finished with 70 points on 24-41 shooting and 21-23 from the free throw line. He scored 24 points in the first quarter and had 34 points at halftime. There was simply nothing the Spurs could do to stop him. He came out in the third and dropped 25 points, bringing his total to 59. In the fourth, he continued to stay hot, and with a driving layup, he reached the 70-point mark. His 70 points broke Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 68 points, set on December 16th, 1967.
Embiid, who won the NBA MVP award last season, looks on track to be the repeat winner. He is currently averaging 36.1 Points per game, 11.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists. He extended his 30-point game streak to 21 with this performance. The Philadelphia 76ers are also winning games. The team is currently 29-13 and third in the Eastern Conference.
Karl Anthony Towns – Minnesota Timberwolves
Now we move to Minnesota, where the Hornets were visiting the Timberwolves. Karl Anthony Towns has had a good season up to this point, but nobody expected this. He broke his own franchise scoring record of 60 points with a 62-point outburst. Towns had 44 points going into halftime, the most in a half this season. Karl finished 21-35 from the field with ten three-pointers and ten free throws.
Towns’ historic night went to waste, however, as the Timberwolves lost this game 128-125. On their last possession of the game, Towns appeared to be fouled, but there was no call. The Hornets’ Leaky Black scored two free throws. Towns’ had a desperation three fall short with under 2 seconds to play, sealing the game for the Charlotte Hornets.
The NBA is must-watch
With two historic scoring performances in one night this season, the NBA is exciting to watch. What does the future hold? Will we see more scoring records fall this season?