Joel Embiid leads 76ers to eighth straight win, continues scoring streak that only LeBron James has matched

Joel Embiid continued his MVP promotion Saturday night with another dominant performance in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 141-121 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Despite missing the entire fourth quarter with the game out of control, Embiid finished with 31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists on 10-of-15 shooting from the field.

His big night helped the Sixers win their eighth consecutive game, equaling their longest winning streak of the season. In addition, he installed franchise record for consecutive 30-point games with nine, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain and Allen Iverson. And yet none of them were the most impressive statistic of the evening.

In this matchup, Embiid recorded his seventh game in a row, scoring at least 30 points on 55% shooting from the field. Since the shot clock was introduced in 1954, the only other player to have such a streak was LeBron James in 2013. according to ESPN statistics and information. James’ streak has ended at seven games, and Embiid will have a chance to top him on Monday when the Sixers play the Chicago Bulls.

Embiid showed his full arsenal of skills against the Pacers, who tried their best to slow him down, to no avail. In addition to scoring a few near the rim and hitting a 3-pointer, Embiid prepared mid-range like a winger. The round jumps and dribbling he did were simply impossible for a man of his size.

During this historic seven-game hitting streak, Embiid is averaging 37 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and three blocks per game while shooting 64.9% from the field and 44.4% from three-pointers. He was completely unstoppable and turned the MVP race into a draw between himself and Nikola Jokic. In fact, given the Sixers’ successful streak and the Nuggets’ career slump, Embiid may have even moved forward.