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3 observations after George misses equalizer attempt in debut, Sixers fall to Suns originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Sixers were on the verge of an exciting and uplifting victory on Monday night.
They couldn’t get it done and instead fell to 1-5 this season with a 118-116 loss to the Suns in Paul George’s debut with the Sixers. Phoenix moved up to 6-1.
After Kevin Durant (35 points on 14-of-20 shooting) beat Guerschon Yabusele for a go-ahead layup, George got a shift the Sixers liked against Grayson Allen. He narrowly missed a long double that would have tied the game with about three seconds left.
In his return from a bone bruise in his left knee, George played 32 minutes and scored 15 points on 4-of-14 shooting, five rebounds and four assists.
Tyrese Maxey scored 32 points on 12-of-22 shooting.
Joel Embiid (left knee injury management) He was the only player eliminated from the Sixers. The team’s 1-5 start is its worst in six games since the 2016-2017 season.
The next trip is to Los Angeles to meet the Clippers on Wednesday night and the Lakers on Friday.
Here are observations on the Sixers’ loss in Phoenix:
Jorgethe debut
George had to wait a while for his first Sixers hoop.
He attempted a baseline jumper on the Sixers’ first play and came up short. On the final possession of the first quarter, George missed a running back attempt on Suns rookie Ryan Dunn and fell to 0 of 5 from the field.
A quick-release catch-and-shoot corner 3-pointer about 15 seconds into the second quarter broke the ice.
George played shorter periods than usual on Monday in his first game since Oct. 14. Foul trouble didn’t help in the first half either as he worked to gain a personal rhythm and develop chemistry with his new teammates. George committed his third foul at the 11:17 mark of the second quarter and was substituted.
He provided a highlight play late in the second period, turning to the rim and then finishing an off-balance layup and one in heavy traffic.
George didn’t have a good passing night statistically (four assists, seven turnovers) and was expected to be rusty at times, but he showed his ability to confidently handle the ball in pick-and-rolls, pressure the defense and find open companions. . It’s obvious that he should draw significant attention from defenses and improve the Sixers’ offense overall.
George’s foul drawing was another positive Monday. He shot a team-high seven free throws and made six of them.
In the end, everything will seem pretty sour for George and the Sixers because of the final minutes. His final field goal ended up coming at the 10:03 mark of the third quarter.
bench ladles
The Sixers fell to 0 for 6 from three-point range on an aerial by Kelly Oubre Jr. Andre Drummond committed four early turnovers, including a pair of bad casual passes in the defensive zone, and the Sixers faced a deficit of 11 points in the first quarter.
Yabusele and Kyle Lowry gave the Sixers some needed points as role players, hitting a pair of three-pointers in the first quarter each. Lowry is now a blazing 15-for-25 (60 percent) on the season from long range.
Eric Gordon hit a 3-pointer in front of the Sixers bench, then added two free throws and a nifty layup during a 9-0 run. As a team, the Sixers improved a lot in terms of pace and offensive decisiveness.
Jared McCain also hit a 3-pointer in the second quarter. The Sixers bench ultimately scored 29 points in the first half on 10-of-17 shooting and 10 assists.
Yabusele was huge offensively all night and Sixers head coach Nick Nurse played him over Drummond at center for the entire fourth quarter.
As he demonstrated this summer at the Olympics, Yabusele is ready in any situation. He slid a lateral pick-and-roll with George in the fourth and scored a strong dunk on 7-foot Jusuf Nurkić. Yabusele set new NBA career highs in points (19), rebounds (seven) and assists (six).
Durant steals the show late
Phoenix’s offense didn’t have many problems against man-to-man or zone defense. It is almost impossible to deter Durant from playing his game and scoring very efficiently.
The Sixers still had some good and competitive moments in the team’s defense. They were effective against Devin Booker, who has often burned the Sixers but was just 3 of 18 from the field on Monday. The team also held its own in the rebounding department.
Maxey roared into higher gear in the third quarter, ensuring the Sixers stayed with Phoenix. He surpassed 5,000 points for his NBA career on his 24th birthday with a deep 3-pointer, hit a putback over Allen and scored an and-one layup over Durant at the end of the shot clock.
Maxey played his season average of 41 minutes, but looked tremendously fresh at the start of the fourth quarter. He hit two more 3-pointers and the Sixers extended their lead to 113-104 with just over five minutes remaining.
However, they were unable to achieve a victory.
Durant proved to be unstoppable and the Sixers could not find a dagger on offense. Oubre fouled out with 1:40 left and Lowry came on. Caleb Martin missed a baseline jumper after Phoenix charged George and knocked the ball out of his hands. Maxey tied the game at 116 with 49.6 seconds left, but then missed his second free throw.
There are always regrettable moments and decisions to question in a loss (for example, the nurse doesn’t call a timeout before the last play), but the Sixers came very close to a highly deserved, high-quality victory.
If it weren’t for Durant’s heroics, they would have made it.
