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Philadelphia 76ers guard Paul George (finger) is dealing with another hiccup amid a down season. The 34-year-old's new injury update is ominous after exiting the 109-97 win vs. the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, via PHLY Sports' Kyle Neubeck.
“Paul George underwent an MRI and ultrasound, which revealed an injury to the extensor tendon in his left fifth finger,” Neubeck reported on Tuesday. “George’s return to play will be determined in the coming days.”
George's ailment comes at a difficult time for the Sixers (17-27), as they were already injury-riddled beforehand. Joel Embiid (knee), KJ Martin (foot), Caleb Martin (foot), and Andre Drummond (toe) are all out against the Los Angeles Lakers (26-18) on Tuesday night. Philadelphia is 1.5 games behind Chicago (20-27) for the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference, which is the final Play-In Tournament slot.
Tyrese Maxey will have to shoulder the load for now as the Sixers heal up. Luckily for Philadelphia, the 24-year-old has been lights out, averaging 26.6 points on 43.2% shooting with six assists per game. His scoring average ranks seventh in the NBA, while he's 21st in assists.
Although George has missed 14 games and counting this season, he feels like he's gained chemistry with Maxey, via NBC Sports' Noah Levick.
“I feel better and better as the games come along,” the nine-time All-Star said. “It just comes down to games played, to be honest … starting to find a rhythm and just understanding of each other, and I think that’s kind of where we’ve gotten to.”
That's a much-needed silver lining for a Sixers team that's mostly seen bad luck since George arrived in the offseason. Standout rookie Jared McCain tore his ACL on Dec. 13 and is out for the season, while Embiid has already missed 31 games and counting.
However, if Embiid and George ever get fully healthy, they'll make for a fearsome trio with Maxey in the playoffs.
