The Philadelphia 76ers secured a thrilling 128-122 overtime victory against the Houston Rockets on Thursday night, powered by a dominant performance from former MVP Joel Embiid which included 32 points scored.
The impressive night had particular significance for the Cameroonian superstar.
Embiid marks anniversary of historic 70-point game
Exactly two years ago, Embiid set a 76ers franchise record by scoring 70 points against then-rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs.
The performance immediately entered NBA history as one of the most remarkable scoring nights of all time. On Thursday, Embiid referenced the anniversary in his postgame media session, surprising reporters with a dead-pan joke reflecting on how the date had become lucky for him.
“Yeah, I was just saying after the game that maybe I should have a baby on January 22nd,” Embiid joked.
“This seems to be a good day, so me and my wife, when I get home, we probably gonna talk about start making those calculations, and make sure that we try to have a baby on January 22nd.”
Embiid is married to Brazilian model Anna De Paula, and the couple currently have two children.
“Big step forward”
On Thursday, Embiid delivered his first triple-double of the 2025-26 season, finishing with 32 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists. The 76ers erased a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit against the Rockets to force overtime, where Embiid and his teammates ultimately secured the win.
Reflecting on his injury woes, Embiid told reporters: “Obviously I’m not allowed to play back-to-backs yet, so just whenever I can play, just happy to be consistent and playing every game, basically.”
Embiid managed 46 minutes on the night, the most he has played in a regular-season game for overn three years.
“It’s certainly a pretty big step forward, I think, for sure,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said of his superstar center’s game time.
The victory moved the 76ers to a 24-19 record, while the Rockets fell to 26-16.
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