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LA Lakers star LeBron James congratulated the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid for his career night against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday. The Sixers extended their winning streak to six with a 133-123 victory, with Embiid leading the way with a dominating performance on a historic night.
He outplayed the Spurs defense, finishing with a career-high 70 points and 18 rebounds. In the process, he overtook Wilt Chamberlain's record for the 76ers to create a new landmark
Embiid's bully ball found no counters from backup Zach Collins, Wembanyama or any other double- or triple-team the Spurs put in front of him. Toying with his opponents in the post, the 76ers MVP scored 34 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to set the tone for the first half.
Lakers superstar LeBron James tweeted his reaction to Embiid's historic dominant performance:
"70 PIECE NUGGET!!!!. CRAZY"
In the third quarter, Embiid picked up the pace, and with over four minutes left, clinched his eighth career 50-point performance. Before sitting out the remainder of the quarter, Embiid had equaled a career-high 59 points and 15 rebounds.
In the fourth quarter, Embiid showed no signs of slowing down. With 6:38 remaining and Philadelphia leading 118-104, Embiid returned as the Spurs remained within striking distance.
With his 65th point of the game on a pull-up jumper, Embiid continued to dominate from inside the arc, surpassing Giannis Antetokounmpo's season high of 64 points.
With 1:57 left, Joel Embiid made a free throw to tie Chamberlain's team record of 68 points.
Sixteen seconds later, he scored his 70th point on a coast-to-coast layup, taking the record for himself. Coach Nick Nurse called a timeout so Embiid could exit the game and enjoy a standing ovation.
Notable people who congratulated Joel Embiid for his career-high
Joel Embiid received a shower of appraisal and admiration for his performance on Monday night and backing his MVP frontrunner contention.
Lakers legend and center Pau Gasol conveyed his respect:
"Congrats on a career night"
Former Detroit Piston guard Quentin Richardson chimed in:
"70pts for Embiid!!!"
His teammate Tyrese Maxey shared what it's like playing with Embiid and sharing the court with him for the special night.
“Don’t take Joel for granted. This is special. Extremely special”
Joel Embiid became only the ninth player in NBA history to score at least 70 points in a game. On the 18th anniversary of Kobe Bryant's 81-point outburst, the Cameroonian extended his impressive streak of 30-point games to 21.
