The Philadelphia 76ers finally got to see their trio of Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey on the court together for the first time this season on Wednesday. It lasted about half as long.
George left the Sixers’ game against the Memphis Grizzlies, a 117-111 loss, with a hyperextended left knee and did not return, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The knee is the same knee that caused George to miss the first five games of the season due to a bone bruise from a previous hyperextension.
The injury appeared to occur when George landed awkwardly after jumping to defend Grizzlies wing Desmond Bane in the third quarter.
Here’s the play/replays of the Sixers’ Paul George experiencing some sort of pain in his left leg once he lands.
It’s hard to see exactly what happened, but PG headed to the locker room. pic.twitter.com/LmzeeDYpFg
—Erin Grugan (@eringrugan) November 21, 2024
Not long after it was reported that George was ruled out, Embiid took a knee with Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. and visibly limped to the sideline. Fortunately, he stayed in the game.
George aggravating or re-injuring his knee would be just the latest blow to a miserable season for the Sixers, who entered Wednesday tied for last place in the Eastern Conference with a 2-11 record.
Philadelphia was supposed to be in the upper echelon of East contenders this season after trading for George, but injuries have so far taken their toll on their roster. Both Embiid and George were out at the start of the season: Embiid with a knee ailment and George with a bone bruise.
Embiid then earned a suspension for shoving a columnist for writing something about his injury management that he believed was out of line. Then Maxey suffered a right hamstring injury.
The three finally returned to the court on Wednesday and the result was another loss and more pain.