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Amid early season woes, the Philadelphia 76ers were dealt another blow on Wednesday.
Star forward Paul George exited the Sixers’ matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies in the third quarter with a left knee hyperextension, per The Athletic’s Tony Jones. Shams Charania of ESPN added the injury came on the same leg that caused George to miss time at the start of the regular season.
He appeared to suffer the injury early in the third quarter after coming down awkwardly while going up for a rebound. He did not return to the game.
Head coach Nick Nurse provided updates to the injury afterwards:
Amy Fadool Kane @amyfadoolNBCS
Nick Nurse on Paul George: it’s a similar injury as the preseason… (hyperextension) added that PG was close to coming back in the game but his knee stiffened up so he couldn’t. They’ll see how he responds tomorrow for an update. pic.twitter.com/IfugNWthSa
In his debut season in Philadelphia, George is putting up 16.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, though he’s only appeared in seven games thus far. He’s missed a handful of games over the first month of the season due to the knee injury he suffered in preseason.
The 76ers, who are off to a disastrous 2-12 start to the season, played their first game with all three of their stars—George, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey—but now it’s possible it could be some more time until all of them are on the floor at the same time again.
Maxey has been terrific this year, averaging 27.6 points per game, but like George has been limited to just seven games. Embiid has played just three games due to a knee injury, illness and a suspension. He’s put up 14.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in his limited action.
When George came to Philadelphia this offseason, there was optimism that he could be the missing piece that finally helped the Sixers get over the hump and contend for an NBA Finals. After the way the first few weeks of the season have gone, the 76ers would be lucky to even reach the playoffs.
The one bright spot in the rough year has been rookie Jared McCain, who is averaging 15.2 points per game despite coming off the bench for most of the year and playing just 21.2 minutes per game. Over the last five games, he’s had 20 or more points, including a 34-point outing against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
If Philadelphia can finally sort out its injury woes and get all of its stars rolling, it could easily turn things around. For now, the 76ers will look to manage with George potentially out for a while.
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