Getty Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Philadelphia 76ers are 3-1 — Joel Embiid says so. The Sixers big man grabbed the mic after a statement win against the Phoenix Suns on November 7 and told a crowd of fans that “the other games don’t count” and that Philadelphia’s season “started tonight.”
For a second, it might have looked like fools gold, as the hapless Sixers were blown out in Atlanta by the Hawks three days later. But a week on and Philadelphia is, as previously mentioned, 3-1, with a revenge win against the Hawks as well as an excellent showing against the Utah Jazz, who is incidentally the first team in the league to have 10 wins this season.
And after a statistical masterpiece on Sunday night against the Jazz, Embiid sewed up his case for the Eastern Conference’s NBA Player of the Week, joining Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry in the honor.
Not too shabby for a guy who’s given up on individual awards in the quest for team glory.
Embiid is Playing Like His MVP Self Again
Since his bold proclamation, Embiid is on an absolute tear. He’s averaging 40 points per game, 11 rebounds, 2.8 blocks, and 5.3 assists. Even more impressive, he owns a mighty plus-16.8 net rating, a testament to the force he brings to the floor. By comparison, in his first five games of the season, Embiid posted a ghastly minus-2.8 net rating.
Against the Jazz, Embiid exploded to the tune of 59 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, and seven blocks. It left even the stats gurus at StatMuse scratching their heads.
Embiid with one of the greatest performances in NBA history.
59 PTS
11 REB
8 AST
7 BLK
No one has ever put up those numbers before.
There was little belief among Sixers loyal that Embiid forever lost his MVP-caliber skills. Rather, Embiid was still playing himself into game shape, first as a result of plantar fasciitis this summer and then a bout of flu which forced him out of three straight games two weeks ago.
But the Joel Embiid fans saw on Sunday night looked like the Embiid of old. Actually, it looked better than that — Embiid’s performance against the Jazz was an instant classic and likely one of the best regular season games ever played by a single individual. As Mike Vorukunov of The Athletic explained, Embiid became the only player in NBA history to record over 55 points and manage at least seven blocks.
There have now been 194 games in NBA history where someone scored 55+ points. No one ever had more blocks than Joel Embiid tonight (7). Only 14 players had more assists than Embiid (8). Only 9 did it on fewer shots (28).
This was one of the best individual games in NBA history.
The Sixers needed their superstar to step up and he did. But Embiid will certainly be called on again soon.
A Look Ahead at Philadelphia’s Schedule
If the Sixers can get through Friday, they’ll have a major reprieve in terms of opponents. While Philadelphia hosts the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, they get the Timberwolves, Nets, Hornets, and Magic, who are a combined 19-39 on the season. Milwaukee, on the other hand, has over half as many wins as that crew, sitting at 10-2 atop the Eastern Conference.
On the back end of that stretch, Philadelphia gets another crack at the Hawks before traveling to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers, who’ve looked the part of one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference so far this season.
Points:
59 — Joel Embiid tonight
47 — Ben Simmons this season
While Philadelphia finally climbed back to .500 against the Jazz, it’s not inconceivable for the team to go on a mini-run over the next week and wrack up some easy wins before real tests in Atlanta and Cleveland.