76ers center Joel Embiid makes history in thrilling win over Wizards

The Philadelphia 76ers entered Wednesday night having lost two straight games without Joel Embiid. But following a four-day break, the reigning Most Valuable Player managed to return to the hardwood and put on a historic outing in the nation’s capital.

Embiid finished the night with 50 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists in 38 minutes, draining 19 of his 29 shots and 11 of 13 tries from the charity stripe to lead the 76ers to a tight 131-126 win over the Wizards. Washington was surprisingly competitive, hosting a back-and-forth affair with the visitors before the latter pulled away late.

76ers center Joel Embiid makes history in thrilling win over Wizards

Definitely known for his scoring explosions, Embiid scored in the 50s for the sixth time in his career. Wilt Chamberlain (118) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (10) are the only centers with more 50-point outings in NBA history.

With Washington allowing the second-most points in the paint and ranking 29th in defensive rating entering Wednesday, the 76ers maximized their clear advantage inside with Embiid. It also didn’t help the Wizards that their starting center, Daniel Gafford, could only muster up 23 minutes due to foul trouble before eventually fouling out — not that it mattered for Embiid — and that their only other alternatives were natural forwards Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala.

Embiid surpassed his previous season-high of 48 points which he tallied against — as you might have guessed — this same Washington team on the 76ers’ sixth game of the season. He scored 29 of his 48 markers in the third quarter and also distinguished himself in the 76ers books as the holder of the record for most points scored in a quarter since 1996.

Philadelphia is now 13-7 on the season, sitting fourth in the East and just two games behind Boston for tops in the conference. Fortunately for them, their schedule for the next couple of weeks will give them a chance to accelerate their ascent in the standings. Hopefully, Joel Embiid can continue putting up his MVP-level numbers sprinkled with some historic performances to give the team a big momentum boost moving forward.