Kobe Scores 65
On this day in 2007, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant scored 65 points in a 116-111 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, the most points ever scored by an opposing player versus the Trail Blazers. Bryant shot 23-39 from the field — including 8-12 from 3-point range — and made 11 of his 12 free throws.
It’s the second-highest scoring game of Bryant’s career, surpassed only by his legendary 81-point effort versus the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006. Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain (15 times) are the only players in NBA history to record multiple 65-point games.
This was the first of four straight games in which Bryant scored at least 50 points. The only other player in NBA history to record at least four 50-point games in a row is Chamberlain (five such streaks). Bryant scored 225 points during the streak, a four-game total that has only been surpassed by Chamberlain (multiple times, with a high of 293 points).
Bryant scored at least 50 points 10 times that season. The only other player in NBA history to produce 10 or more 50-point games in a season is Chamberlain (of course), who recorded 45 such games in 1961-62 and 30 in 1962-63.
Jordan Starts Record Streak
On this day in 1987, the Chicago Bulls’ Michael Jordan scored 44 points in a loss to the Houston Rockets, starting a streak of 271 consecutive regular season games in which he scored at least 15 points. It’s the longest such streak in NBA history by 34 games:
271 — Michael Jordan
237 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
224 — Bob McAdoo
220 — Wilt Chamberlain
167 — Oscar Robertson
With postseason games included, Jordan’s streak increases to 317 games, still the longest such streak in NBA history:
317 — Michael Jordan
272 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
237 — Bob McAdoo
223 — Wilt Chamberlain
193 — Oscar Robertson
Jordan scored at least 15 points in 1,196 of his 1,251 regular season and postseason games (95.6%). The only player in NBA history with a higher such percentage is LeBron James (96.1%).
Joel Embiid’s Birthday
On this day in 1994, Joel Embiid was born in Yaounde, Cameroon. A six-time All-Star and one-time scoring champion, Embiid has career averages of 27.1 PPG and 11.2 RPG in 383 games.
Embiid averaged 30.6 PPG last season, becoming the first center to average at least 30 PPG in a season since Moses Malone in 1981-82. Embiid is averaging a league-best 33.5 PPG this season, putting him on track to become just the fourth big man (power forward or center) in NBA history to average at least 30 PPG in consecutive seasons:
Wilt Chamberlain (1959-60 to 1965-66)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1970-71 to 1972-73)
Bob McAdoo (1973-74 to 1975-76)
Embiid has recorded at least 40 points and 10 rebounds in a game 34 times, the most such games in Philadelphia 76ers history. The only player since the ABA-NBA merger to produce more 40-point, 10-rebound games is Shaquille O’Neal (43).
On November 13, 2022, Embiid turned in one of the most impressive all-around performances in NBA history in a 105-98 win over the Utah Jazz:
59 PTS
11 REB
8 AST
7 BLK
19-28 FG
20-24 FT
Embiid is the only player to record at least 50 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and five blocks in a game since the NBA began tracking blocks in 1973-74.
Notable Postseason Debut
On this day in 1960, the St. Louis Hawks' Johnny McCarthy tallied 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in his NBA postseason debut, a 112-99 win over the Minneapolis Lakers. McCarthy is one of only four players in NBA history to record a triple-double in his first career playoff game:
Johnny McCarthy (March 16, 1960)
Magic Johnson (April 8, 1980)
LeBron James (April 22, 2006)
Nikola Jokic (April 13, 2019)
It was the only triple-double McCarthy recorded in 27 career playoff games.
Efficient Lillard
On this day in 2021, the Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard scored 50 points on just 20 shots from the field in a 125-124 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Lillard is one of only four players in NBA history to record a 50-point game while taking 20 or fewer shots from the field:
17 — Adrian Dantley (Oct. 31, 1980)
19 — Willie Burton (Dec. 13, 1994)
19 — Kyrie Irving (March 8, 2022)
20 — Damian Lillard (March 16, 2021)
Lillard shot 13-20 from the field — including 6-13 from 3-point rage — and made all 18 of his free throws. He’s the only player in NBA history to score at least 50 points in a game without missing a 2-point attempt (7-7).
Milestone for Issel
On this day in 1982, the Denver Nuggets’ Dan Issel scored 26 points in a 154-138 victory over the Utah Jazz, increasing his NBA career point total to 10,007. He had previously reached that scoring milestone in the ABA with the Kentucky Colonels. Issel and Julius Erving are the only players in basketball history to score at least 10,000 career points in both the NBA and ABA.
Issel scored 27,482 combined points in the ABA and NBA, the 12th-highest such total in basketball history. An ironman, Issel recorded at least 76 games played in each of his 15 pro seasons. He appeared in 1,218 out of a possible 1,242 regular season games (98.1%) in his career.