Monday's smooth sailing victory for the Philadelphia 76ers was overpowered by the unfortunate news surrounding forward Paul George.
George suffered a left knee hyperextension early in the second quarter, sidelining him for the second half. Avoiding injuries is the top priority for the Sixers, whose postseason has been derailed on numerous occasions due to the health circumstances of Joel Embiid.
To prevent Embiid from possible injury prior to the start of the regular season, he is not appearing at all in the preseason. Alternatively, this was George's second game, and it's safe to say his last regardless of the severity.
76ers coach Nick Nurse addressed the poor timing of George's injury postgame.
“Certainly trying to work him into things, and he wants to work into things too. So this doesn’t give him a chance to do that." Nurse said. "Hopefully it’ll be OK so he’s back with us right away.”
Before exiting the contest, George recorded eight points, two rebounds, one assist, and a steal on 3 of 5 shooting in 12 minutes of action. The stars of the show for Philadelphia were guard Tyrese Maxey and big man Guerschon Yabusele. Maxey finished with 14 points, seven assists, and two steals while Yabusele tallied 10 points and 11 rebounds on 4 of 6 shooting.
The unlikely hope remains that both George and Embiid are ready for the regular season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 23.
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