The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the New York Knicks last night in OT but Joel Embiid made history, as the following data clearly show.
The Cameroonian recorded a triple-double, and his team emerged victorious in the most crucial game of the season, making it difficult to argue that he underperformed. However, despite being known as one of the deadliest scorers of this generation, he only managed to convert seven of 19 field goal attempts last night. He also had a staggering nine turnovers, indicating his struggles in scoring.
Nevertheless, 19 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists, and five blocks are statistics that deserve respect, to say the least. In fact, only two giants and former teammates, Tim Duncan and David Robinson, have achieved such a feat in the last 30 years. This further adds weight to Joel Embiid’s performance last night.
Joel Embiid also became just the second member of the 76ers in the last 30 years, alongside Ben Simmons, to achieve a triple-double in the playoffs. This was Embiid’s 10th game facing elimination, and he has shot below 50% on nine occasions, which certainly doesn’t bode well for him.