3 observations after Paul George exits with left knee injury in Sixers’ preseason win originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Paul George exited the Sixers’ preseason game Monday night in Atlanta with a left knee injury the team called a “hyperextension.”
In a much less significant development, the Sixers earned a 104-89 exhibition win over the Hawks.
Tyrese Maxey posted 14 points on 5-for-18 shooting and seven assists. George had eight points on 3-for-5 shooting, two rebounds and an assist in 13 minutes (more on his injury below).
Outside of Joel Embiid’s absence, the Sixers started at full strength. A Sixers official said Sunday that Embiid will not play this preseason, but that his left knee is “progressing well.” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse told The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Gina Mizell pregame that the team’s plan to manage Embiid’s health through the season is “right on course.”
Asked Nick Nurse if there is any concern about Joel Embiid being available for opening night. He reiterated this is part of the season-long management plan.
“Opening night’s still a long way away … but we are right on course with the plan we’ve kind of set out.”
— Gina Mizell (@ginamizell) October 14, 2024
Embiid provided more detail on that plan in a story by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
“If I had to guess, I would probably never play back-to-backs the rest of my career,” Embiid told ESPN.
The Sixers’ penultimate preseason contest will be Wednesday night vs. the Nets at Wells Fargo Center. The health of their stars is clearly a larger storyline than that game.
Below are observations on Sixers-Hawks:
Going with Gordon in starting lineup
Instead of Caleb Martin, Nurse opted to start Eric Gordon alongside Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr., George and Andre Drummond.
The Sixers fell behind 7-0. George opened the scoring for the team with a pull-up three-pointer, but the offense didn’t suddenly roll from there. Many of the Sixers’ half-court possessions were sloppy and out of sync. George committed turnovers on consecutive plays.
From an individual standpoint, there’s no mystery about the 35-year-old Gordon. The 6-foot-3 veteran held up fine when 6-8 Jalen Johnson took him to the post early, contesting a missed jumper. Gordon drained his first shot, hitting a catch-and-shoot three from the left wing.
As a unit, the Sixers’ starters bounced back decently. George and Maxey totaled 13 points in the game’s first nine minutes and looked dangerous…