Joel Embiid’s history making performance at the NBA

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Star player of the Philadelphia 76ers, Joel Embiid, delivered a record making performance in their recent game against Utah Jazz, by scoring 59 points, which is Embiid’s career high. With a final score of 105-98, these were the highest points scored all season by an individual, a record which was held by Darius Garland who scored 51 points prior to Philadelphia’s game. Furthermore, Embiid’s score was lower than what it could have been as he successfully executed only 1 out of 5 three-point shots, which is lower than his career average 3-pointer percentage of 0.334.

Embiid also demonstrated his prowess with shots from all directions including those from below, further away, upfront and from the wings. Aside from scoring, Embiid impressed with an all-round performance that included 11 rebounds, seven blocks, and eight assists, as the rest of the team underperformed with only 21 baskets.

Embiid’s fiery performance is now the first one in history to have at least 50 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks and 5 assists, and that too in a short span of 37 minutes. Interestingly, the player to have the closest achievement is Embiid himself who scored 50 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks in the 2020-2021 season match against Chicago. Embiid’s dynamic performance against Utah came despite the Utah defense targeting him with frequent fouls, with Embiid scoring 20 of 24 free throws successfully.

The only team-member to attempt a free-throw was Danuel House Jr., who scored one. Furthermore, to put Embiid’s game into perspective, Basketball Reference has rated it with a Game Score of 54.4, which is NBA’s eighth highest productive game on a list topped by Michael Jordan’s 69-point game, for Chicago against Cleveland in the 1989-1990 season.

Joel Embiid has now conclusively proven his prolific scoring skills, having scored 50 points at least once in the last two seasons, and 40 points on 28 occasions. He has also demonstrated his physical resilience, as the 59 points came on the heels of a 42-point game against the Atlanta Hawks the previous night. Finally, Embiid’s performance has provided fresh hope to the 76ers who are currently at 7-7, which has included Embiid missing four games due to a sore knee and flu, and James Harden missing five due to a sore tendon. Meanhile, Utah Jazz is facing the prospect of a disappointing season, having axed players including Donovan Mitchell, Bojan Bogdanovic and Rudy Gobert.