Sixers’ Embiid extends 30-10 record to 13 games and downplays ankle injury.
Philadelphia — Joel Embiid overcame an ankle ailment to extend his 30-10 run to 13 games, scoring 31 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 121-111 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.
Embiid scored all 31 points after landing awkwardly while attempting to block a shot with 5:25 left in the first quarter.
The 30-10 stretch is the longest in NBA history, dating back to 1971-72 when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went 16 straight games. Only two other players in league history have had 30 points and 10 rebounds in at least 13 straight games: Elgin Baylor (15 straight in 1961-62), and Wilt Chamberlain (six times).
Embiid also scored 30 or more points in 14 consecutive games, the most in the NBA since James Harden’s 32-game streak in 2018-19.Through the 25 games he’s played this season, the star big man has accumulated some gaudy numbers. Of note:
• He’s the first player to record 850 points, 250 rebounds and 150 assists through his first 25 games.
• He’s the first player to score 30-plus points in 20 of his first 25 games since Michael Jordan in 1986-87.
• He’s the fourth player to average 1 point per minute in at least 25 games in the shot-clock era, joining Chamberlain, Harden and Embiid had an early scare Friday. He briefly went to the locker room after scoring just two points in the first quarter but returned in the second and had 11 points at halftime.
“I saw that I wasn’t being aggressive,” Embiid said. “But then I let the game come to me. I didn’t force shots and in the third quarter I was able to get a few shots to go.”
The reigning NBA MVP was noticeably hobbling and winced periodically and favored his right leg, but it didn’t slow him in the second half. He also had nine assists and four blocks.
Embiid declined to discuss his ankle following the game.
“I don’t know,” he answered. “I’ll have it checked out. “We’ll see.”
Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse stated that it was an ankle injury but did not provide anything further.
“Obviously, he stayed in the game and it didn’t change his rotation at all,” she added. “But he played through it, and I am sure he will be hurting tomorrow. We’ll have to keep an eye on it for the next several days until we fly to Miami.”
Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey each scored 33 points, marking the second occasion in team history that three players scored 30 or more points in a game. In 1961, Dick Barnett, Hal Greer, and Dolph Schayes did it.
