Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid absolutely went supernova Monday night when he kicked off his week with a 70-point explosion at the expense of Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. His performance is now the talk of the basketball realm and it’s even garnered a reaction from Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.
“70 PIECE NUGGET!!!! @JoelEmbiid🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🫡. CRAZY,” the four-time league Most Valuable Player posted on X about Embiid’s insane scoring outburst.
Embiid was simply unstoppable in the Spurs game. He shot 24-for-41 from the field and 21-for-23 from the free-throw line. The Spurs had no idea how to slow down the reigning MVP, who also added 18 rebounds, five assists, a steal, and a block. He did all that in only 36 minutes, which meant that he nearly scored two points every minute he was on the floor.
Just like the rest of the population who witnessed Embiid lead the 76ers to a 133-123 home win, Wembanyama will never forget the night he and his team got torched by the historic performance of the other team’s best player. It’s also a lesson for the Spurs rookie, who must have realized even more there is left for him to do to be on the level of Embiid, who entered the game averaging 35.0 points and 11.4 rebounds in the 2023-24 NBA regular season.
It’s unlikely that Embiid goes off for 70 points again in the next game, as no one in the history of the NBA has ever pulled off the scoring feat in consecutive manner, but he’s certainly a man to watch when the 76ers take on the Indiana Pacers next to start a game road trip on Thursday.