Joel Embiid reacts to his historic 70-point game vs. Spurs

On Monday night, Joel Embiid had a mind-blowing game, scoring a franchise-record 70 points, the highest in the NBA this season, and leading the Philadelphia 76ers to a 133-123 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

In addition to his scoring feat, Embiid set a career-high with 18 rebounds, going 24 of 41 from the field, including 1 of 2 from 3-point range, and making 21 of 23 free throws.

His exceptional performance surpassed Wilt Chamberlain's 76ers record of 68 points, set in 1967. Chamberlain was playing for the Philadelphia Warriors when he set the NBA record with 100 points.

Embiid's remarkable display is part of a streak where he's scored at least 30 points in 21 consecutive games, contributing to the Sixers' six-game winning streak.

"It was just a great night," he said. "I had it going. I mentioned a few times, a lot of teammates are extremely unselfish, and they just kept giving me the ball, and I just finished it.

"But when you're shooting that many shots, which I never thought I would be taking that many shots in my life, you're obviously going to make some, and you're going to have a big night."

Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama had 33 points and seven rebounds in 29 minutes in the first matchup between the 7-footers.

Embiid said playing against Wembanyama added motivation to his mission every night.

"I wouldn't sit here and lie to you, but that's my mindset every single game," Embiid said. "My mindset is to attack, dominate offensively and defensively, so tonight was no different."

Former Sixers coach Brett Brown, now an assistant with the Spurs, also witnessed Embiid's historic night. The 29-year-old expressed gratitude towards Brown, acknowledging his role in his development.

"I'm glad I did it in front of him," Embiid said with a smile. "Nah, but obviously, I started with him. My first coach. He's taught me a lot. Not just on the basketball side, but off the court, too. Just maturing. He's a big part of it, so it's always good to see him."

Brown only had a 221-344 record as the coach of the 76ers, but it was mostly due to the rebuilding process.

"He's done a lot," Embiid continued. "Not just for me, but for the whole city of Philadelphia, too. When you think about everything that happened and the losing seasons and to still come out on top and have the success that he had, that's pretty cool. It's always good to see him, but I'm kind of glad I did it in front of him so he can kinda see the product of what he created."

Embiid had tied his career high of 59 points through three quarters, but his decision to go for 70 points wasn't premeditated.

"It was hard to say because, obviously, I came out hot," he said. "I had 24 in the first, and then, in the second, I was kinda messing around, and I had over 30 at the half. I had a pretty good start to the third quarter, and it was also depending on the game.

"At that point, I had 59, and the game was still pretty close. So, it felt like I needed to go back. Once I got back, I was like, there's my chance, so I might as well go and do it."

Reflecting on the achievement, Embiid expressed pride in being a leader for the next generation and mentioned his admiration for Kobe Bryant, who scored 81 points on the same night 18 years ago.

Embiid hopes to inspire young players like Wembanyama to break records in the future.

"It's great," Embiid started. "Even though I started playing late, from the time I started playing, Kobe [Bryant] was my guy. He's the reason why I started playing basketball, and it's funny, on the same night, he had 81, and that was my favorite player.

"When I started, the guys that I was looking up to, and they were doing all this," Embiid added. "So if he says it's inspiring, I hope in a couple of years, hopefully, when I don't have to guard him, and I'm out of the league. Hopefully, he can do the same thing and go out and break all these records and possibly break Wilt's record of 100 points."

Embiid's 70-point game has him on pace for the best scoring season in NBA history on a per-minute basis. While Chamberlain holds the record for per-game scoring, Embiid's rate of 38.0 points per 36 minutes is unprecedented, making this season one for the record books.

Joel Embiid vs. Spurs:

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