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Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Joel Embiid immediately attributed a historic 70-point performance to his teammates when he met with reporters after making 24 field goals and 21 free throws in a Philadelphia 76ers win over the San Antonio Spurs. "A lot of teammates are extremely unselfish and they just kept giving me the ball," Embiid told reporters after the 133-123 win Monday in Philadelphia. "I just finished it."
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The six-time All-Star and former NBA MVP made just one 3-pointer and totaled a career-high 18 rebounds and five assists. His 70-point total broke Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain's franchise scoring record for a single game (68 points in 1967).
Embiid became the ninth player in NBA history to score at least 70 points in the game. He is the first player to reach the total in fewer than 39 minutes (36:38).
Embiid made 8 of 12 shots and 8 of 8 free throws for 24 points over the first 12 minutes of the game. He scored another 10 in the second quarter. Embiid poured in 25 in the third, making 10 of 15 shots over another 12 minutes. He scored 11 in just 5:16 of court time in the fourth quarter.
"The time that it kind of hit me, was the start of the third," 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. "I think he had a bucket and an and-1, like in the first minute.
"I was like: 'Wait a minute, he's already got like 37, 38, something like that.' I was like: 'Geez, that's a lot, with a whole half to go.'"
The 76ers outscored the Spurs 70-58 in the paint and led by as many as 19 points. They held a 48-43 edge in rebounding and outshot their foes 49.5% to 46.2%. They also logged 28 assists.
"We were just trying to play the right way and make the right plays," Embiid said. "Obviously I made shots and they found me a lot."
Guard Tyrese Maxey chipped in 18 points and eight assists for the 76ers. Veteran forward Tobias Harris scored 14 points in the victory.
Spurs rookie center Victor Wembanyama totaled 33 points and seven rebounds. Spurs guard Devin Vassell logged 22 points and nine assists.
Embiid leads the NBA with a career-high 36.1 points per game. He made nearly 54% of his shots through his first 32 starts this season.
"He's a fantastic player, obviously in the running for MVP," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of Embiid. "Everybody already knew that. It wasn't a surprise at all.
"He is wonderful. He is playing such an all-around game."
The 76ers (29-13) will face the Indiana Pacers (24-19) at 7 p.m. EST Thursday in Indianapolis. The Spurs (8-35) will host the Oklahoma City Thunder (29-13) at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday in San Antonio.
