There must be something about January 22nd.
On the 18th anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s 81-point performance, two of the NBA’s top big men have paid tribute to the late Lakers icon with explosive scoring performances of their own.
First came Joel Embiid, the reigning MVP and center for the Philadelphia 76ers, who scored a franchise-record 70 points, making him one of only nine players to ever reach this mark.
But before the dust settled on this performance, Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns did his best to match this, finishing with 62 points in a loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
Together, Embiid and Towns became the first duo to score at least 60 points on the same day. since 1978when David Thompson scored 73 points and George Gervin scored 63.
Joel Embiid achieves franchise high by beating Wembanyama
Reigning NBA MVP and current contender for a second, Embiid wasted no time welcoming 2023 No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama to the league, defeating his Spurs team with a Herculean 70-point performance and 18 rebounds.
Center with 65+ points in a game:
-Wilt Chamberlain
—David RobinsonAnd now, Joel Embiid. pic.twitter.com/HX1jlOUoGU
— StatMuse (@statmuse) January 23, 2024
This made Embiid the third center to score 65 points or more in an NBA game, and also broke Wilt Chamberlain’s Philadelphia 76ers franchise scoring record.
To Wembanyama’s credit, the rookie finished the game with 33 points, but he was no match for the NBA’s current scoring leader, Embiid.
Karl-Anthony Towns scores career-high in loss to Charlotte Hornets
One night in Minnesota Timberwolves player Towns’ career wasn’t enough to lead his team to victory, scoring 62 points in a loss to the Hornets.
Towns had 44 at halftime, but seemed to fade late in the game, allowing the Hornets to come back from a 15-point deficit, steal a victory and pour water on the big man’s big night.
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch didn’t hold back after the game, stating that his team had embarrassed itself and deserved the loss.
“There are always many ways to be immature,” Finch said.
“There were a lot of immature performances here throughout the squad.
“We totally disrespected the game, ourselves, and we got exactly what we deserved.”
Social networks react to Embiid and Towns’ historic night
With two of the NBA’s elite big men having historic performances, as expected, social media exploded and everyone was amazed.
70 PIECE PIECE!!!! @JoelEmbiid ??????. CRAZY
– LeBron James (@KingJames) January 23, 2024
This Embiid game is unreal.
—Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) January 23, 2024
KAT scored 44 at the half.
Embiid scored 65 in the 4th.what the hell is happening???
-Lexie Brown (@Lexiebrown) January 23, 2024
The Timberwolves need to take a photo like this with Karl-Anthony Towns in the locker room pic.twitter.com/dztRv6PRkl
– Oluwajomiloju (@JomiAdeniran) January 23, 2024
JANUARY 22 ?
(2006) Kobe scored a franchise-record 81
(2024) Joel Embiid scored a franchise-record 70
(2024) Karl Towns scored a franchise-record 62 pic.twitter.com/Df0G5vrK6O– Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 23, 2024
Everyone watching the Timberwolves game now that Embiid dropped 70 pic.twitter.com/GkQOld36nY
— JP Acosta (@acosta32_jp) January 23, 2024
