Joel Embiid scored 59 points and made history as he inspired the Philadelphia 76ers to a monumental victory over the Utah Jazz on Sunday.
Embiid produced arguably the greatest performance of his career to lead the 76ers to an important 105-98 victory over the Jazz, who have stunned fans as they currently possess a 10-5 record to lie fourth in the Western Conference. Philadelphia moved to .500 with a 7-7 record.
The 28-year-old scored a magnificent 59 points, adding 11 rebounds, eight assists and seven blocked shots as he nearly put up a quadruple-double. It was an inspired outing, considering Embiid score over half of Philadelphia’s points during the contest.
With the performance, Embiid became the only player to score 50+ points, 10+ rebounds, five or more assists and five or more blocks in a single game since blocks became an official statistic in 1973. It was also the fifth-best scoring performance in franchise history, with only the legendary Wilt Chamberlain - who holds the top three spots - and Allen Iverson bettering Embiid’s performance.
Embiid was thrilled to be among such iconic names, telling reporters: “Those are two legends that played here and that I respect a lot. To be in that company means a lot, but I still got a long way to go.”
Embiid - the NBA’s scoring champion in 2022 - has been in fine form recently, as he scored 42 points in the Sixers’ impressive win over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. The five-time All-Star was ill last week but he has returned to health with a vengeance.
An impressive fourth-quarter underlined just how dominant Embiid was feeling on Sunday, as he scored 26 out of his team’s 27 points in the closing stages. Head coach Doc Rivers praised Embiid’s outing, suggesting he had never seen a more dominant performance on both ends of the floor during his time in the NBA.
When asked what he thought of Embiid’s current run of form, teammate Tyrese Maxey kept it simple. He said: “Joel Embiid is very good at basketball,” he told reporters after Sunday’s game.”
Embiid will have the opportunity to continue his remarkable scoring run against the Milwaukee Bucks and their NBA-best record on Friday. He is averaging 32.3 points per game and will be desperate to impress when he goes toe-to-toe with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
