Paul George made his return to his hometown as the Philadelphia 76ers (1-6) faced the Los Angeles Clippers (4-4). In their first-ever game at the Intuit Dome, the Sixers went into halftime tied and came out of the game like they did most of their other ones: on the wrong side of a lopsided defeat. Final score:
Joel Embiid was ruled out, though this time it was for an NBA-mandated suspension rather than injury management. Kawhi Leonard was also sidelined, leaving both teams to be led by stars who were on opposite sides of this matchup just two seasons ago. James Harden is, of course, seeing his old team for the third time since his ugly exit. But it's PG-8 — formerly PG-13 — who stared down the team he used to represent for half a decade for the first time.
Here are three takeaways from Paul George's first showdown against the Clippers since joining the 76ers.
Paul George's homecoming gets spoiled
George was excited to see his former teammates and coaches but wasn’t sure what type of reception he would get from Clipper Nation. The team gave him a tribute video — as it should have — but the fans gave him more boos than cheers in the starting lineup introductions. He got booed and taunted throughout the game, too, though he also got plenty of applause and cheers during his tribute.
After shaking off the rust in the Sixers' loss to the Phoenix Suns on Monday, George got his first two shots of the night to go, both of which were treys. He made one of them after stealing an offensive board and came up with a steal off of a deflection (before giving it right back to the Clippers). Not only was he looking good but his big plays created more tangible, statistical results in Philly's favor.
George sized up various opponents and hit contested shots with ruthless consistency. He was a man on a mission, though he was also not precise in his execution, committing four turnovers in the first half. The Sixers were also turnover-prone (12 in the first half) but did not make 100 percent of their shots, so PG was still a massive positive.
Philly's offense still featured a lot of the problems that plagued it before George debuted: stagnation, taking too long to get into a set, a lack of playmaking and inefficient shooting from deep. Having a star like PG as a bail-out option is great but what’s even better is avoiding situations where you need to be bailed out. The Sixers' offensive execution too frequently resembles a team running through its plays in practice. Very rarely in the halfcourt is someone catching a ball on the move or darting forward off the catch. Since they don’t employ an array of creators who can take anyone off the dribble, the droughts feel like eons.
The third quarter, in particular, was a brutal stretch for the Sixers' offense. LA outscored them 33 to 17 and shot 30 percent better from the field (12-18 vs. 7-19). Seemingly as part of his minutes restriction, George played fewer than five minutes of that period. It certainly showed.
George ended the night with 18 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists on 7-9 shooting.
The teacher vs. the student
Harden helped Maxey come along during their time as teammates. The former has been outspoken about the youngster's work ethic. The latter has spoken at length about how the former MVP instilling in him so much confidence fueled his rapid improvement. Harden may loathe the organization now but his mentorship of Maxey was a gift that will keep on giving.
In the first quarter, Harden and Maxey traded buckets, even going against one another. The Sixers got the slower Harden switched onto Maxey, allowing him to create space for a step-back from the mid-range and a dash toward the bucket for an and-one. However, Harden used his advanced handles and size advantage to draw a Maxey foul (on the floor) and put some points on the board for his squad.
Harden missed eight of his first 10 shot attempts, compromising his elite playmaking to a degree. The lift in his legs is clearly declining, as he was strong and big enough to get into the paint but couldn’t get many clean looks. Even at 35 years old, he can orchestrate an offense.
Maxey was still passive on snappy, tough passes but his growth as an isolation scorer is still apparent. He got into the paint often and was efficient. However, it's becoming clearer by the game that he would benefit from being off the ball more, having someone else dissect the defense while he shoots and attacks off the catch. Embiid coming back will help in that area immensely. This shot diet is just not something Maxey can live on, even if he's more capable of it than he used to be.
Because of soreness in his right hamstring that he experienced in the second half, Maxey's night was done after 31 minutes. He tallied just 12 points and one assist on 5-13 shooting, including 1-6 from deep.
Caleb Martin: the good, the bad, the ugly
Martin is a unique, talented, tenacious player whose flaws are becoming somewhat worrisome. He's still going to be one of the Sixers' better players night in and night out, even if he has his occasional ugly play.
Good: Martin just knows how to play the game. With timely cuts and passes, attentive defense and a sense for doing the little things, all in a frame that fits a variety of positions and features a non-stop motor, he's someone who can play well even when his shot doesn’t fall (that’s foreshadowing). Especially when he has Embiid to play off of, he's going to be great very often.
Bad: Martin, who came into this game shooting below 70 percent on free throws, shot poorly from the foul line in this game. The frequency with which he got to the line was negated by his 5-10 shooting at the stripe. He's got to get his free-throw percentage up soon.
Ugly: It's looking more and more like Martin is going to be someone that defenses help off of. His three-point shooting has been woefully inefficient this season and tonight's 1-4 shooting line did him no favors. Even if his percentages normalize, his bizarre shot mechanics — he takes a while to load up, his footwork looks inconsistent, his release isn’t smooth and the arc on his shot flirts with being a straight line — will give defenses plenty of chances to deny him open looks.
Other takeaways
- Batum said tonight was not a revenge game because the Sixers wanted him back. He said he was happy to see his former squad. Philly fans surely found it bittersweet to watch him again in a different uniform.
- I think you would be hard-pressed to find a game with so many players playing a former team, especially those playing the very last team they were on — George, Harden, Batum, Eric Gordon, Reggie Jackson, K.J. Martin, plus Mo Bamba and P.J. Tucker (who didn’t play) and Kai Jones, who never suited up for the Sixers but was on a 10-day contract last season. Even Clippers reporter Lauren Rosen was recently just working for the Sixers!
- Andre Drummond hit his first three-ball since 2020!
The 76ers' road trip wraps up on Friday night against the Los Angeles Lakers.
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