Embiid and Towns make NBA history with dual 60-point games on same day / News - Basketnews.com

Joel Embiid's 70-point performance and Karl-Anthony Towns' 62-point game with a unique stat line make Monday a historic day in the NBA, marking only the fourth instance in history where two players scored at least 60 points on the same day.

Credit: Getty Images via AFP - Scanpix, AP - Scanpix Credit Getty Images via AFP - Scanpix, AP - Scanpix

On Jan. 22, 2024, Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns delivered stunning performances in the NBA.

Player of the Game EFF 27 Brandon Miller Points 27 Accuracy 11-13 Rebounds 3 Assists 2

Embiid scored an impressive 70 points, setting a new 76ers record and leading Philadelphia to a 133-123 victory over San Antonio.

Meanwhile, Towns had a phenomenal night, scoring 62 points (a career-high and a T-Wolves record), but it wasn't enough as Minnesota fell short in a 128-125 loss to Charlotte.

This extraordinary feat marked only the fourth day in NBA history where two players scored at least 60 points in separate games.

The previous instances occurred on April 9, 1978, with David Thompson (73 points) and George Gervin (63), on January 17, 1962, featuring Jerry West (63) and Wilt Chamberlain (62), and on December 8, 1961, when Chamberlain (78) and Elgin Baylor (63) achieved this in a triple-overtime game.

Embiid's 70-point performance tied for the 12th-highest scoring effort in NBA history and surpassed Chamberlain's 76ers team record of 68 points.

"To be in the same conversation, that's pretty cool," Embiid said.

Chamberlain was playing for the Philadelphia Warriors when he set the NBA record with 100 points.

Embiid became the ninth player in NBA history to score 70 or more points in a game. Chamberlain accomplished this feat six times, while others on the list include Baylor, Thompson, David Robinson, Kobe Bryant, Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell, Damian Lillard, and now Embiid, each achieving it once.

Embiid got to enjoy his big night since it came in a win. Towns didn't have that luxury, with the Wolves falling.

"It's about winning the game," he was straightforward.

It marked only the second time since 1993 that a player scored at least 62 points in a loss, with the previous instance being Devin Booker's 70-point effort in a Phoenix loss to Boston in 2017.

Towns also etched his name in NBA history with a unique stat line, becoming the first player ever to record 10 2-pointers, 10 3-pointers, and 10 free throws in a single game.

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