Joel Embiid Jokes 'Lights Were Too Bright' After Missed FT for 50 Points vs. T-Wolves

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid nearly missed out on a 50-point game in Wednesday's 127-113 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves when he missed a free-throw attempt with 1:49 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Embiid joked the "lights were too bright" for him on the free throw.

The reigning NBA MVP wound up surpassing the 50-point mark when Paul Reed grabbed an offensive rebound off the missed free throw and passed the ball to Embiid, who made a jumper to give him 51 for the night.

Embiid has taken his game to another level this season, even coming off an MVP campaign in 2022-23. He's scored at least 30 points in 13 consecutive games, with a double-double in each of his past 12 appearances.

Since Dec. 6, Embiid is averaging 41.4 points on 61.5 percent shooting, 12.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in eight starts. He leads the NBA with six games of at least 40 points. Five of those games have come in the past two weeks.

Embiid's efficiency from the field and his ability to draw fouls makes him an unstoppable scoring machine. The six-time All-Star leads the league with 35.1 points per game, an increase of two points from his 2022-23 MVP season (33.1).

It was surprising to see Embiid not connect on the field goal that would have given him 50 because of how good he's been at the charity stripe. He's shooting a career-high 89.3 percent from the line on 11.7 attempts per game.

Embiid was 17-of-17 from the free-throw line before his miss at the end of the game. It all worked out in the end thanks to Reed getting the offensive rebound and having the awareness to get the ball back in Embiid's hands so he could get one more shot off before being taken out.

Since their brief lull with four losses in six games from Nov. 21 to Dec. 1, the 76ers have won seven of their last eight games. This was one of their biggest wins of the season against a Timberwolves team that has the best record in the Western Conference.

Philadelphia (19-8) is currently third in the Eastern Conference standings, just two games behind the Boston Celtics for the top spot.

Embiid will look to continue his hot streak on Friday when the Sixers host the Toronto Raptors.