PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid had his 30-10 streak pushed to 13 games by an ankle injury, finishing with 31 points and 10 rebounds in the Philadelphia 76ers' 121-111 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.
Embiid scored all 31 of his points with 5:25 left in the first quarter after coming down awkwardly on a blocked shot.
The 30-10 streak is the longest in the NBA since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it in 16 straight games in 1971-72. Two other players in league history have recorded at least 13 straight with 30 points and 10 rebounds — Elgin Baylor (15 straight in 1961-62) and Wilt Chamberlain (six different times).
Since James Harden's 32-game streak in 2018-19, Embiid has scored 30 or more points in 14 straight games.
In his 25 games this season, the star big man has put up some impressive numbers. Note:
• First player to record 850 points, 250 rebounds and 150 assists in his first 25 games.
• He became the first player since Michael Jordan in 1986-87 to score 30-plus points in 20 of his first 25 games.
• Joins Chamberlain, Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo to become fourth player to average 1 point per minute in at least 25 games in shot-clock era.
Embiid had an early morning scare on Friday. He briefly went to the locker room after scoring just two points in the first quarter, but returned in the second quarter and scored 11 points at halftime.
“I saw that I wasn't aggressive,” Embiid said. “But then I let the game come to me. I wasn't forcing shots and I was able to get some shots in the third quarter.”
The reigning NBA MVP was noticeably hobbled and winced at times and favored his right leg, but that didn't slow him down in the second half. He had nine assists and four blocks.
Embiid didn't want to talk about his ankle after the game.
“I don't know,” he said. “I'll check it out. We'll see.”
Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse confirmed it was an ankle injury, but didn't offer much more.
“Obviously, he stayed in the game and it didn't change his rotation,” Nurse said. “But he played through it and I'm sure he'll be sore tomorrow. We'll have to monitor it for the next couple of days before we get on the plane. [to Miami].”
Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey each scored 33 points, the second time in franchise history that three players have scored 30-plus points in a game. Another was in 1961 by Dick Barnett, Hal Greer and Dolph Shays for the Syracuse Nationals.
Harris scored 24 points in the first half. Maxey added 10 assists.
“Tobias has been around a long time,” Maxey said. “He knows how to be professional and ready. He did that tonight. He was huge. We give him credit for that.”
Information from ESPN Stats and Information and The Associated Press was used in this report.
