Joel Embiid nets a career high-tying 50 points in a win vs. Orlando.
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Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid erupted for 50 points, tying his career-high in a 123-110 victory over the Orlando Magic, becoming the first center to score 50-plus points this season. The four-time All-Star added 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists and a steal to his absolutey dominating performance.
Embiid ties his career-high with 50 PTS vs. the Magic 😳 pic.twitter.com/dlhSZOQ6JI
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 20, 2022
Embiid started out hot and never slowed down, dropping more points in the first half (24 points, 9-13 FGs) than the rest of the 76ers combined (23 points, 10-27 FGs) while also going perfect from the line (6-6 FTs) all before the 2nd quarter buzzer.
The Sixers came out in the second half down by 10 points and Embiid quickly helped turn things around, hitting a tough fadeaway jumper in the opening minute of the 3rd quarter, which would be 2 of his 23 total points in the that quarter alone to give Philly a 14-point lead entering the final period.
While the Magic fought to get back in, the 76ers showed they were too much to handle behind the play of Embiid who reentered the game with 7:23 remaining in the 4th quarter when he was fouled almost immediately and headed to the line for two more points. In fact, all of Embiid’s 4th-quarter points (3) were free throws as Orlando desperately tried to slow down the sizzling big man.
Four-time All-Star Joel Embiid is showing why he's among the best players in the league this season.
Less than a minute later, he was fouled again and returned to the free-throw line where he hit his first attempt to reach his career-high mark. After missing the second, Embiid walked to the bench while Wells Fargo Center broke out “MVP” chants and the 76ers went on to earn their 26th victory of the season.
An outstanding performance by the Kia MVP contender who joins Wilt Chamberlain as the second player in Sixers’ history to record multiple 50-plus point and 10-plus rebound games.
Joel Embiid is just the second player in @sixers history to record multiple 50-point, 10-rebound games.
He joins Wilt Chamberlain, who had 11 such games with the franchise.
The only others with even one such game are Dolph Schayes and Moses Malone. pic.twitter.com/bLROkEG5k1
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) January 20, 2022
Joel joins Wilt Chamberlain and Allen Iverson as the only @sixers with multiple 50 point games!
🔥 50 PTS (17-23 FGM)
🔥 12 REB pic.twitter.com/VilAi9RfOi— NBA (@NBA) January 20, 2022
Before Wednesday’s game, the last time an NBA center achieved this feat was exactly 11 months ago, when Embiid dropped a career-high 50 points against the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 19, 2021.
Embiid is the sixth active center to score 50-plus points in a regular-season matchup and joins DeMarcus Cousins as only the second current player to do so more than once. He also becomes just the second player in NBA history to record 50-plus points, 10-plus rebounds and 3-plus blocks in a game, joining Lakers’ Anthony Davis.
Active NBA centers to score 50-plus points in a regular season game
| PLAYER | DATE | MATCHUP | W/L | PTS | REB |
| Joel Embiid | 1/19/22 | ORL @ PHI | W | 50 | 12 |
| Joel Embiid | 2/19/21 | CHI @ PHI | W | 50 | 17 |
| Nikola Jokic | 2/6/21 | DEN @ SAC | L | 59 | 8 |
| LaMarcus Aldridge | 1/10/19 | OKC @ SAS | W | 56 | 9 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | 3/28/18 | ATL @ MIN | W | 56 | 15 |
| DeMarcus Cousins | 12/20/16 | POR @ SAC | W | 55 | 14 |
| Anthony Davis | 10/26/16 | DEN @ NOP | L | 50 | 15 |
| DeMarcus Cousins | 1/25/16 | CHA @ SAC | L | 56 | 12 |
Embiid’s monster night is the eighth-most points per minute in an NBA game ever.
"It's my job to just go out, block the noise out and try to dominate."@JoelEmbiid joins #GameTime after his 50-point night. pic.twitter.com/GrBgMqXwOt
— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 20, 2022
His 50 points in 27:03 minutes played are the second-fewest minutes played in a 50-plus point game, only behind Klay Thompson who did so in 2019 when he scored 52 in 26:33 minutes.
