Spinning the Block: Appreciating the Scoring Spree

https://newsletter.threefourtwo.com/p/nba-joel-embiid-luka-doncic

It was a week ago when the NBA’s most recent scoring run popped off. A Monday evening of hoops quickly turned into realizing that Joel Embiid had scored 54 points against the Spurs with 4:07 left in the the third quarter. At that moment of the game, Embiid had made 20 field goals while the entire Spurs team had made 26. Ten minutes later, I flipped to the Minnesota Timberwolves facing the Charlotte Hornets and came to the realization that Karl-Anthony Towns had scored 41 points in 19 minutes on 14 of 16 shooting at the time while hitting 8 of 8 from 3. 

That’s not how any of that is supposed to work. But that’s the fun part. 

Embiid finished with 70, KAT finished with 62 and four days later Devin Booker had 62 points against the Indiana Pacers and [checks notes] Luka Dončić tied the mark for the 4th highest scoring game in NBA history with 73 points. 

To put that in perspective, according to the NBA, only five times in the league’s history have two players scored 60+ points on the same day. Two of those happened last week. Prior to Embiid and KAT doing it on January 22 we had not seen two players score 60+ on the same day since April 9th 1978 when David Thompson had 73, and George Gervin had 63. 

I was negative 9 years old. 

Some of the social media response to this scoring spree was interesting as the trusty, reliable, “no one plays defense” take was sprinkled in alongside “remember when 60 points was something to remember?” To that, I provide a kind reminder that the most 60+ point games in a season came in 1962-63, when it happened nine times. 

If you’ve seen any of my content, you know that I have a basketball illness. I’m looking for playcalls, coverages, schemes, well timed cuts, screening angles, defensive rotations, and I promise you there is nothing that will get me to turn my brain off like these kind of scoring performances. I love defense, but it’s time to acknowledge not just the evolution of the game, but the type of pressure that offenses and individual talents are putting on teams. 

Lost in the back and forth is that two of Joel Embiid’s first made baskets were a pull up and a step back over 7’4 Victor Wembanyama. Embiid mixed in post seals and as soon as the Spurs looked to show double teams, adjusted right back to pull ups in transition before the defense could get set. We can point to defense but let’s not discredit the idea of a human being of that size, facing up, seeing a double team and driving baseline to finish. Karl-Anthony Towns first made field goal came with 11:45 in the first quarter, a pick and roll with Rudy Gobert screening, KAT handling and going right into a pull up 3. Devin Booker had a quick spin off a post up and a pullup in transition and those quick decisions allow you to get a shot off before a defense can load up. In the first quarter alone, Luka saw the Hawks in a deep drop and took the space and scored, hit a stepback, and forced Atlanta into bringing their big to the level and looking to switch. 

Basketball is subjective, so I can understand if the scoring isn’t for everyone. Hopefully the blend of talent, skill and shot making can be appreciated. I find it ironic that some folks are clamoring for a return of defense, but didn’t want to watch an ounce of the Grit n Grind Grizzlies.

—Steve