It seemed like a normal Monday night in the NBA, with eight games being played around the league as teams entered the second half of their seasons. But it was the 17-year anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s famous 81-point game against the Raptors, and two players seemed to channel that energy into impressive scoring outputs of their own.
KAT & Embiid Go Off On Important NBA Anniversary
Today is the 1st day with multiple 60-point games since April 9, 1978:
David Thompson had 73 points
George Gervin had 63 points
There have never been multiple 65-point games on a single day in NBA history
— Matt Williams (@StatsWilliams) January 23, 2024
First, it was Joel Embiid. The MVP favorite scored 24 first quarter points on his way to 59 through the first three, the fourth-most in NBA history through 3 quarters. He wound up finishing with a total of 70, setting a career and franchise high, and being the 9th player in league history to score at least that many.
He shot 24 for 41 from the field and sank 21 free throws, and added 18 rebounds and 5 assists as well. It was the first 60+ point game for the 76ers since Allen Iverson scored 60 back in 2005.
The game was well contested during the first half, but Philly blew things open in the third quarter and never looked back. Rookie Victor Wembanyama had a nice game of his own, putting up 33 points in a losing performance for San Antonio.
Wolves Blow Lead During KAT’s 62-Point Performance
Karl-Anthony Towns is the first player in NBA history to have a game with:
10+ Two-Pointers Made
10+ Three-Pointers Made
10+ Free-Throws Made pic.twitter.com/GnFMYsfrtn— StatMamba (@StatMamba) January 23, 2024
But there was another explosive output happening in Minnesota. In a game that started an hour after the one between the 76ers and Spurs, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 43 points in the first half alone against the Hornets, and had 58 through three quarters. An early fourth quarter bucket put him over 60, but it was all downhill from there for the Timberwolves.
Minnesota entered the final frame up by 16 points on lowly Charlotte, but completely flopped down the stretch, scoring just 18 total points the rest of the way. The Hornets had their best quarter by putting in 36, and the top team in the West suffered a tough and embarrassing loss against one of the worst teams in the entire NBA.
As for the scoring output, Bryant would be proud. It was the first time that two players scored 60+ points on the same night since David Thompson (73) and George Gervin (63) did it on April 9th, 1978. If Towns had scored another three, it would have been the first dual 65-point night in the history of the league.
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