Paul George made his preseason debut for the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday and delivered the type of performance that has Sixers fans excited for the upcoming season.
George scored 23 points to lead all scorers in the Sixers’ 121-111 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Des Moines, Iowa. The nine-time All-Star was 8 of 15 from the field, including 4 of 9 on 3-pointers , and added six rebounds in 26 minutes. He didn’t play in the fourth quarter.
Tyrese Maxey added 21 for Philadelphia, followed by Kelly Oubre Jr. who scored 15. Andre Drummond grabbed 15 rebounds for the Sixers.
Joel Embiid did not play for a “scheduled evaluation” of his left knee, according to Sixers coach Nick Nurse.
George told reporters at Wednesday’s practice that his goals for Friday’s debut were to improve his conditioning and his on-court relationship with his teammates.
“Just get some conditioning,” George said, via Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’m trying to really blast my lungs, run the floor, all the intangibles. I think the talent will make its mark as the season goes on and we get out of the preseason. More so, I’ll be on my game.” But it’s about keeping up with (Maxey), running down the court, giving him space.”
Naz Reid led the Timberwolves with 19 points, followed by 17 from Jaden McDaniels and 16 from Anthony Edwards. Donte DiVincenzo scored six points with seven rebounds in his first preseason game since joining the Timberwolves after being part of the blockbuster trade involving Karl-Anthony Towns with the New York Knicks.
(Towns scored 25 points with 12 rebounds in his preseason debut with the Knicks on Wednesday.)
George joined the 76ers after signing a four-year, $212 million maximum contract in free agency, leaving the Los Angeles Clippers after five seasons. Adding George to their star duo of Embiid and Maxey has raised championship expectations in Philadelphia, who view the Sixers as a challenger to the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics.
During his 15 seasons in the NBA, George has averaged 20.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, shooting 39% on three-pointers.
The 76ers begin the NBA regular season on October 23, hosting the Milwaukee Bucks.