On the 18th anniversary of Kobe Bryant's historic 81-point performance, a pair of NBA big men delivered a pair of colossal scoring nights themselves. Today's edition of The Morning Dunk has got you covered with everything you may have missed, and if you did, you missed something special.
Embiid Goes Off For 70
Only eight players in NBA history had ever scored 70 points in a single game, with the likes of Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, David Robinson, and Damian Lillard all being a part of that prestigious group.
Joel Embiid became the ninth on Monday night, finishing with an absurd 70 points, 18 rebounds, and five assists to lead the Philadelphia 76ers past the San Antonio Spurs with a 133-123 victory.
He's the first player to ever score at least 70 points in fewer than 39 minutes, having done so in just 37. Embiid's 70 points also set a franchise record for the Sixers, beating the previous mark of 68 set by Chamberlain.
Joel Embiid set a new CAREER-HIGH & FRANCHISE RECORD with 70 PTS in @sixers win over San Antonio! 🔥
— NBA Canada (@NBACanada) January 23, 2024
Performance of the Night is presented by Kumho Tire. pic.twitter.com/X3vAkSGbRn
Embiid's odds in the Most Valuable Player race skyrocketed following this scoring outburst, jumping to +130 past Nikola Jokic (+250) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+360).
Timberwolves Waste KAT's 62
Karl-Anthony Towns made scoring history of his own on Monday, but unlike Embiid, his own showing didn't result in a win for his team.
Towns became the first player to ever connect on at least 10 free throws, 10 2-pointers, and 10 3-pointers in the same game, finishing with a career-high 62 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves fell 128-125 to the visiting Charlotte Hornets.
KAT left it all on the floor, including scoring 44 1H PTS and knocking down 10 triples on way to a new career high of 62.
— NBA (@NBA) January 23, 2024
Towns becomes the first player in NBA history with 10+ 3PM, 10+ 2PM, and 10+ FTM in a game. pic.twitter.com/o6EoQtnpSg
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch was none too pleased with his squad's performance, calling his team "immature" as his players focused more so on getting Towns buckets as opposed to trying to win the game.
“We totally disrespected the game”
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) January 23, 2024
Timberwolves Head Coach Chris Finch was beyond disappointed with his team tonight… and confirmed KAT was simply “hunting a big number”
pic.twitter.com/5SvyclCrG5
Minnesota entered as the 15.5-point favorites over Charlotte and failed to cover the spread for just the third time in eight games.
Cavaliers Continue Winning Ways
Key injuries to Darius Garland and Evan Mobley have yet to slow down the Cleveland Cavaliers, whose league-best winning streak carried forward on Monday.
Sam Merrill drilled eight 3-pointers off the bench while Donovan Mitchell added 25 points, 13 assists, and four steals in a dominant 126-99 road win over the Orlando Magic to extend Cleveland's streak to eight games.
The #Cavaliers are silently the best team in the league right now 👀
— BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) January 23, 2024
They have won 8 games in a row, the longest active streak in the NBA 😲
They are holding their opponents to under 100 points even without Darius Garland & Evan Mobley 🤯 pic.twitter.com/05mXio74Dx
Cleveland currently sits with an overall record of 26-15 SU with a one-game lead over the New York Knicks for the fourth seed and home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference.
