On Nov. 17, 2018, Kemba Walker went off against a star-studded Philadelphia 76ers squad.
Erupting for a career-high and franchise-record 60 points, Walker outscored all of his teammates combined in a contest that went into overtime. Unfortunately for Walker, it wasn't quite enough, as the 76ers defeated the Charlotte Hornets by a final score of 122-119.
Walker's superhuman effort was outdone by Jimmy Butler, who iced the game in the extra session with a game-saving block and the game-winning triple.
"I'm still proud, that's an unbelievable thing to do right there," Walker said postgame. "I'm just mad that we lost. I'm a competitor. It would have been even better with a win."
The loss would sting but it can't take away all the records Walker broke.
Kemba Walker had 7 points in his last game on Nov. 13 and had 60 points tonight.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 18, 2018
That's the fewest points scored by a player in the game before a 60-point game in NBA history. H/T @EliasSports
This marked the 11th 40-point game of Walker's career, surpassing Glen Rice for the most in Hornets franchise history. At the time, Walker held four of the five highest single-game scoring performances in franchise history.
It's not just the feats but the opponents Walker did it against.
"We tried double-teaming him, we tried hard-hedging him," then 76ers head coach Brett Brown said postgame. "The reality of it is, is that you have Joel (Embiid) and Jimmy in that situation a lot and he is doing that against two all-league defensive players. He is just hard to guard and he is really unique. ... Sixty points in an NBA game against a pretty good defensive team is a remarkable effort."
Playing 45 minutes, Walker finished with a stat line of 60 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals on 21-for-34 (61.8%) shooting from the field.
That's not all. Walker would make history once again a few days later. In his next game, he became the sixth player in NBA history and the first since Kobe Bryant in 2006-07 to follow up a 60-point game with a 40-point game.
This time, Walker got the win.
Kemba Walker has been on a tear in his past two games, scoring 103 POINTS!
— NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) November 20, 2018
Kemba is only the 6th player in #NBA history to follow up a 60-point game with a 40-point one! The others are Wilt Chamberlain, Pete Maravich, Michael Jordan, Tracy McGrady, and Kobe Bryant. pic.twitter.com/nTFHwFI3H9
Other notable events on Nov. 17
- In 1989, Magic Johnson dished out a career-high 24 assists in a 119-105 win over the Denver Nuggets. He would tie this tally one other time (Jan. 9, 1990) in his career.
- In 2000, Reggie Miller became the 25th player in NBA history to score 20,000 points with a 30-point game against the Golden State Warriors.
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