Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid of Yaounde, Cameroon scored 50 points for the second time in his NBA career on Wednesday. He reached the half-century mark in a 123-110 win over the Orlando Magic.
Embiid made 17 of 23 field goals, one of four three-point attempts, and 15 of his 17 free throws. He also has a double-double, as he had 12 rebounds. Embiid was a +24 with three blocked shots, two assists and one steal. The first time Embiid had 50 points in a game came on February 19, 2021, in a 112-105 76ers win over the Chicago Bulls.
There was also some history in Embiid’s 50-point game on Wednesday. According to ESPN, he scored 50 points and had 12 rebounds in only 27 minutes and three seconds. That is the least amount of time a player has been on the court for a 50-point, 10-rebound game in NBA history.
Embiid becomes the fourth player this season to help his team win a game and score 50 points in the process. He follows Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, and Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets. It should be noted that Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks had 56 points on January 3 (most points by a player in a single game in 2021-22), but Atlanta lost 136-131 to the Portland Trail Blazers.
So far in 2021-22, Embiid is averaging 28 points per game, 10.6 rebounds per game, and 4.2 assists per game. He is one of 15 players in the NBA in 2021-22 to be averaging a double-double.
There is no doubt that the 76ers will be relying on Embiid even more as the season progresses. Especially when you consider the fact that the status of Ben Simmons for the rest of the season is questionable to say the least. The 76ers are currently in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 26 wins and 18 losses.
