Joel Embiid’s hot streak has him in the same company as Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Late in the fourth quarter on Friday night, Joel Embiid forced Precious Achiuwa into a miss along the baseline and had the rebound fall right into his lap. The otherwise unremarkable play in the Philadelphia 76ers‘ 121-111 win over the Toronto Raptors was Embiid’s 10th rebound, which extended his streak of 30-point and 10-rebound games to 13 games. 

With 31 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and four blocks, Embiid is now tied with Elgin Baylor for the eighth-longest streak of games with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in NBA history. The only players with longer streaks are Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. 

Embiid is almost certainly not going to catch Chamberlain’s absurd all-time record of 65 consecutive games during the 1961-62 season, but he is already the first player to have a streak this long in over 50 years. He’s also already joined Shaquille O’Neal as the only player to get to 10-plus games this century. 

NBA’s longest 30-point, 10-rebound streaks

Early in the first quarter, it seemed Embiid’s dominant run would be in jeopardy after he rolled his ankle and laid on the ground for a brief period before hobbling to the bench. Thankfully for him and the Sixers, it looked worse than it was, and he checked right back into the game after a timeout. 

It wasn’t until the third quarter, however, that he truly looked like himself. Toward the end of the frame, he caught fire, pouring in 17 straight points for the Sixers with an array of layups, jumpers and trips to the free throw line. At one point he caught the ball at the elbow, faced up and was met with a double-team. He took one dribble, stepped back and hit a fadeaway over two defenders from 18 feet. When he has it going like that, there’s nothing you can do. 

Thanks to Embiid, as well as strong games from Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey, who poured in 33 points apiece, the Sixers won for the eighth time in nine games to improve to 20-8 on the season. They are now one of five teams in the league with 20 wins and 1.5 games back of the Boston Celtics for the best record and the top spot in the Eastern Conference.