Embiid and Towns mark a historic night in the NBA: 132 points

On January 22, the NBA witnessed a night to remember. It was one of those magical nights that kept the viewers glued to two screens simultaneously, and the night belonged to two modern centers that were out to prove their dominance. Joel Embiid, an American of Cameroonian origin, and Karl-Anthony Towns, an American of Dominican origin, competed from a distance to see who would emerge as the true king of the court. Together, they scored an incredible 132 points, with Embiid scoring 70 and Towns scoring 62. These were not just empty statistics; it was an exceptional evening that will be remembered for many years.

You must travel back to April 9, 1978, to witness a similar event. On that day, two basketball players scored more than sixty points in a single game, with one of them even reaching seventy. David Thompson scored an impressive 73 points while playing for the Nuggets, while George Gervin scored a unique 63 points for the Spurs. It was a battle for the title of top scorer of the season, which was unexpected and made the event even more remarkable.

The path to MVP, the second in a row, is now clear for Joel Embiid. He is allowed to miss up to 16 games this year and has already sat out 11, so he is on the edge of permitted breaks. However, seeing him perform at this supreme level tips the balance in his favor. It was a triple victory over the Spurs, Towns, and even Jokic, whom he recently surpassed on the court. In 2024, Embiid again tastes individual success, but it remains to be seen if the collective result reflects this feeling.

Oh. And one more detail. It was the anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s 81 points. What could be better than doing it on the anniversary of the achievement?

Focusing the shot on Embiid, we must also turn to another of the fantastic phenomena in the history of the League. With his score against the Spurs, he surpassed, from center to center, the franchise record held by Wilt Chamberlain in the Sixers.

Joel was facing Victor Wembanyama, who was playing as a center and had to compete against much bigger players. Victor scored 33 points and played well, but this was a new and more challenging level. Even though they were expected to play together on the French national team at the upcoming Paris Games, Joel ultimately decided to play for the United States because he had both options available. We will see them both play at the Games if everything goes according to plan.

Considering the others, it was a great confrontation to measure Wemby, a litmus test against a great talent. Few ended up paying attention to him; we had to savor what Embiid offered us all at Wells Fargo.

Like that oracle who knows everything, Gregg Popovich gave clues in the preview with his usual sarcasm. He was asked about Embiid. “I don’t think it matters what we’re going to do against him, although if you want, I can give you a shitty answer,” he said in a dispatch to journalists. That’s 74 years of wisdom. He effectively did not care about the strategy designed against the player from Yaoundé: he dressed up, paid the rounds, and closed the game (and the score was 133-123).

Embiid demonstrated a display of skill within the perimeter. While it may seem logical for a position 5 player, Embiid is a game-changer who can score from various spots. Despite being known for his post-up dominance, he only made two out of three attempted three-pointers to reach a score of 70. Embiid also adapts well to free throws, but some NBA fans criticize him for exaggerating or simulating contact. He made 21 out of 23 free throws, while 23 out of 39 of his shots were for two points. In the 37 minutes on the court, Embiid scored 18 rebounds to complete a double-double. In terms of sharing with his teammates, he made 5 assists.

Karl-Anthony Towns responds almost at the same time

The fans were pleased to see how well their basketball team performed in Minneapolis. It was a big day with many impressive plays. Rudy Gobert was not at his best, and his teammate Anthony Edwards seemed hesitant to pass him the ball. Meanwhile, Karl-Anthony Towns, another star player on the team, started the game by scoring a three-pointer. He then continued to shoot confidently, scoring from all over the court.

The first half of the basketball game was amazing. It is usually challenging to captivate the audience’s attention during the first two quarters, whether they are watching live or on TV. However, Karlito managed to do it effortlessly. He was in top form, scoring an impressive 44 points at halftime, which hinted at an even more remarkable performance, but unfortunately, the result wasn’t positive.

The Hornets team has players on their roster who can surprise even the leader of the opposing conference. Bridges, Ball, Rozier, or the rookie Miller, among others, played exceptionally well and kept the game close. Ultimately, they delivered a brutal blow, mainly due to the intense emotions during such a spectacular match. As a result, the spotlight ended up focusing on them.

Although Towns finally finished the game with 62 points, it was not enough to beat the opponent, which was the most disappointing part. It was a franchise record, but those points weren’t worth it. Towns remembered the Booker game at the Garden in Boston years ago, where he scored 70 points. This time, it took him 38 minutes on the court, a couple of substitutions in the last stretch, without any foul problems (which they didn’t understand why they weren’t happening), and achieved an impressive 10/14 in shots of one, 11/20 in shots of two, and 10/15 in threes (when he passed through the locker room, he was 8 of 9). He also had 8 rebounds and 7 turnovers.

The worst thing for Towns was finishing with a loss in a play in which he was surrounded by three, and Leaky Black stole, although a foul was called, and a last shot that also did not go in to force overtime. They had lost against a team that had not even won ten times and whom they were leading by fifteen points entering the final period—a disappointment.

125-128 in the end. Amidst numerous points and a grand exhibition, there was a sudden and unexpected surprise.