PHILADELPHIA — Paul George made his return to the Philadelphia 76ers' lineup in their 108-101 loss to the Miami Heat. George injured a tendon in his left hand when his pinky got jammed in a previous game, leaving the veteran star with yet another injury in a season full of them for him and his team.

After missing five straight games, George played 32 minutes in the Sixers' loss to the Heat, scoring just nine points on 3-11 shooting to go along with four stocks and two assists. It was another disappointing performance for PG, who recognized the frustration of this season but was simply happy to make it back to the court.

“It felt great to play basketball again, be back on the floor with the guys,” George said. “I played a little bit leading up to this but nowhere close to getting a rhythm back. I don't think I'm far off. It was just good to get back out there and try to trust the brace on the pinky and go from there.”

Paul George recovering from pinky injury as 76ers try to improve in standings

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George said he feels “little zingers” in his finger when the ball hits his left hand and called the process of getting comfortable with the brace “more of a feel thing.” He said he'll have to wear the brace non-stop for six more weeks and that he won’t need surgery.

“It was just weird,” the 76ers veteran said of the initial injury, which occurred in a win over the Chicago Bulls on January 25. “The pinky, it was bent and I thought the pinky cramped or something like that and then I looked down and I couldn't move it…The whole process now is just trying to keep it as straight as possible.”

The 76ers, at 20-30, are still trying to be competitive this season, though they seemingly aren’t looking to make a big splash at the deadline. George has garnered interest from other teams but it seems unlikely that he'll be on the move, especially after one of his potential suitors, the Golden State Warriors, acquired Jimmy Butler in a massive deal.

George's focus will stay with the Sixers as they try to salvage the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign. “I want to maximize the rest of this season, try to make some movement,” he said. “We got a chance to climb up and get back into a play-in or a [top-six] spot if all goes well.”