Joel Embiid got a close-up look at Victor Wembanyama and then got right to business against the Spurs’ rookie.
Embiid posted a franchise-record 70 points to lead the 76ers’ 133-123 win over San Antonio on Monday night, adding a career-best 18 rebounds to go with five assists, a steal and a block for good measure.
The 29-year-old Cameroon native bested Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 68 points in a single game, set in 1967.
The win was the 76ers’ sixth in a row and extended Philadelphia’s home win streak to four games.
For his part, Wembanyama notched 33 points, seven rebounds and two blocks on the night — after cameras caught Embiid jokingly sizing up the 7-foot-4 Frenchman during warmups.
Embiid, standing at 7-foot himself, is rarely on the smaller side of NBA measuring contests.
He didn’t wilt in the face of the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, effortlessly pouring in points on 24 of 41 shooting — hitting an early 13-footer over the rookie, who responded with a pair of 3-pointers with 27 seconds.
It took just three quarters for Embiid to tie his previous career high of 59 points and once he re-entered the game with 6:38 left, his 76ers teammates kept feeding him the ball.
To celebrate, they doused him with water during his on-court postgame interview.
It marked Embiid’s 21st straight game with at least 30 points.
The reigning Eastern Conference player of the week entered Monday’s game averaging 35 points, 11.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.9 blocks for the 76ers as a prime candidate to repeat as the league’s MVP.
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