Vintage MJ clips don’t get much better than this. You get to see his Airness, a game after dropping 46 on Clyde Drexler, drop 56 points – 22 of 32 shooting with no 3-pointers – on the round mound of rebound, Charles Barkley, and his 76ers. You also get to see what type of beast Barkley was during his Philly days with 17 points, (then career-high) 25 boards, 6 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals and 1 almost fight with the equally tough Charles Oakley.
Besides scoring at will on offense, MJ also did some damage on the defensive end with 8 steals! His final stat line in the 2 point win: 56 points, 8 steals, 7 rebounds, 3 assists (22-32 fg, 12-15 ft).
JORDAN VS THE 76ERS IN 87
The 56 was a season-high against Barkley’s 76ers in 87 but it was far from his only offensive explosion against them. Here’s what MJ did against the 76ers in their 6 meetings.
- 1.17.87: 47 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals (W)
- 1.30.87: 49 points, 5 assists, 3 steals (L)
- 2.10.87: 29 points, 4 assists, 3 steals (W)
- 3.11.87: 49 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 blocks (L)
- 3.24.87: 56 points, 8 steals, 7 rebounds (W)
- 4.10.87: 34 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds (L)