On the 18th anniversary of the late legend Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors, Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns had record-breaking historic nights as Embiid secured 70 points and Towns 62.
History for KAT and Embiid on the anniversary of Kobe's iconic 81-point game 🔥 pic.twitter.com/IlNLucAclL
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 23, 2024
Joel Embiid Joins the NBA History Books:
The Philadelphia 76ers center made franchise history in last night’s game against the Spurs, where they clinched a 133-123 win over the San Antonio franchise. Embiid’s 70 points against the Spurs were a career-high for the Philadelphia center. The 29-year-old’s previous career-high was 59 points in his game against the Utah Jazz on November 13, 2022.
Embiid set a new record for himself and made franchise history as the only player to score 70 points in the 76ers’ history. The 29-year-old surpassed former 76ers star Wilt Chamberlain’s previous franchise record of 68 points, which was set on December 16, 1967.
Following last night’s game, Embiid became the ninth player in NBA history to record at least 70 points in a single NBA game. The 76ers’ star joins Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, David Thompson, David Robinson, Kobe Bryant, Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell, and Damian Lillard in the NBA history books for recording at least 70 points in a game.
Last night was the 18th anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s career point high of 81 points, which he secured against the Raptors on January 22, 2006. After securing his career-high, Embiid took to social media last night to post a tribute to the late legend who significantly influenced the NBA player’s decision to start playing basketball.
KOBE!!! 70 Piece pic.twitter.com/1qnYwTfhsB
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) January 23, 2024
Karl-Anthony Towns Scores a Career and Franchise High:
Despite the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 125-128 loss to the Charlotte Hornets last night, Karl-Anthony Towns made a career and franchise high after scoring 62 points. Following last night’s game, Towns now holds the three highest-scoring games in the Minnesota franchise’s history as he scored 62 points last night, 60 against the Spurs in 2022, and 56 against the Hawks in 2018.
A NEW CAREER-HIGH 👏👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/I8rWvuGaXa
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) January 23, 2024
Not only did the 28-year-old secure a career and franchise high, but he also made NBA history after last night’s performance. Towns is the first player in the NBA to score 10 two-pointers, 10 three-pointers, and 10 free throws in a single game.
Last night, the Timberwolves center became the seventh player in NBA history to record multiple games of scoring over 60 points. The 28-year-old joins Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, Damian Lillard, Michael Jordan, James Harden, and Elgin Baylor as the seventh player on the list.
This is the fourth time in NBA history that two players surpassed 60 points in a single game on the same night. The latest occurrence happened on April 9, 1978, when former Denver Nuggets player David Thompson scored 73 points, and former San Antonio Spurs player George Gervin secured 63 points.
This is the 4th instance in NBA history in which 2 players have recorded 60+ points on the same night:
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) January 23, 2024
01/22/2024 – Joel Embiid (70) & Karl-Anthony Towns (62)
04/09/1978 – David Thompson (73) & George Gervin (63)
01/17/1962 – Jerry West (63) & Wilt Chamberlain (62)
12/08/1961… pic.twitter.com/eS2rAXfGO0
Embiid and Towns’ career and franchise highs were a tremendous way to honor the late Kobe Bryant. While no player can amount to the legend himself, Embiid and Towns were able to honor Bryant and pay tribute to him and his legendary career through their performances last night.
