5 NBA players most likely to crack 70 points next

1. Joel Embiid, again

There's no way we can make this list without acknowledging that the most likely player to break the 70 barrier might be the same one who just did it last night. Joel Embiid has somehow improved over his MVP season from a year ago, and he's averaging over 40 points per game this month to once again become the frontrunner for the award.

Embiid is leading the league in scoring with 36.1 points per game, and nobody gets to the line more than he does. Not only that, he's the rare big that is terrific from the charity stripe, shooting a stellar 88.7%. He made 21 out of 23 against the Spurs, and those easy points put a huge number in play for him every night if the refs call it tight.

The Sixers' big man seems to save his best performances for the games in which his opponents have the gall to match him up with another quality center. Embiid seems to take pleasure in asserting his dominance, dropping 70 on Victor Wembanyama last night, 41 on back-to-back nights against Alperen Sengun and Nikola Jokic a week ago, and 51 on Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert just before Christmas. If the Monstars invade Earth, he might put up 100.

Perhaps the most ridiculous stat of Embiid's ridiculous season is that he hasn't scored under 30 points in a game since Nov. 15, a 21-game streak of 30+. The better question isn't if Embiid will score 70 again, it's when.