Paul George booed in Los Angeles return as Sixers lose big to Clippers, drop fourth straight game
George received a 70-second video tribute from the Clippers and scored 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting against his old team. Tyrese Maxey left the game in the third quarter with left hamstring soreness.
LOS ANGELES — During a timeout in the first quarter Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Clippers played a 70-second tribute to Paul George.
It opened with highlights from the team’s Western Conference finals appearance run. It spent more time on George’s work in the community, ending with footage of him pounding his chest after a big play.
The video ended with a white screen and blue and red letters that read, “WELCOME BACK, PAUL”
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That’s about when George looked up.
Until then, he’d been focused on Sixers coach Nick Nurse’s message in the huddle. George pointed up at the crowd and walked down the court. He even waived his right arm in the direction of the baseline. At that time, a video showed a woman wearing George’s No. 13 Clippers jersey and holding a sign that read, “Paul G Please Come Back.”
“I’ve always said that this organization is first class and I was very appreciative,” George said of the tribute. “It was fair, I guess. There was some cheers. There was some boos. I think it was kind of split down the middle.”
But aside from that, George was treated like a hated man in the first game against his former team since signing with the Sixers in July. And he walked away with a 110-98 defeat.
The crowd booed whenever he touched the ball. Members of the Clippers’ cheering section even turned their back during a timeout and held up a sign that read, “PG Think Before You Speak.” They also shook newspapers in the first half to distract George at the foul line.
“I mean, it’s stupid,” he said of constantly being booed. “I was a free agent. It wasn’t something [where] I demanded a trade or went against the team here. I was a free agent. This team presented something that was team-friendly and I did what was best for me in that situation.
“So, there was some cheers. I appreciate them. Those are the ones that I played hard for. The boos, I didn’t get it. I still don’t get it when I go to Indy, but it is what it is. It’s sports. That’s what’s in sports. I look forward to next year being back here and more boos.”
But despite the badgering from fans, George finished with 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting. He added seven rebounds, two assists, three steals, one block, and four turnovers as the Sixers (1-6) extended their losing streak to four games.
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The 6-foot-8, 220-pounder looked more comfortable than Monday night, when he made just 4 of 14 shots in his season debut against the Phoenix Suns.
“I’m still I feel like trying to get my body back and just rhythm,” said George, who missed the first five games with a left knee bone bruise. “I think my execution is off. My rhythm, my timing, ball handling, is just off. I’m just trying to get a feel for that. These are really like my first like real, real, real live situations playing these games. So they’re throwing a lot of stuff at me that I’m not quite ready for at this moment, because I’m still trying to get back healthy and my cardio together.
“I’ll be better. I’m going to put the work in but it is a rough patch, I would say, for myself and then, you know, I got to be better for these guys.”
Sixers All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey left the game after playing the entire third quarter due to right hamstring soreness. He had 12 points on 5-for-13 shooting — including 1 of 6 on three-pointers — in 31 minutes, 34 seconds. Kelly Oubre Jr. (18 points), Caleb Martin (14), and KJ Martin (10) were the Sixers’ other double-figure scorers.
Meanwhile, the Clippers (4-4) won for the second time at their new $2 billion Intuit Dome.
The Clippers broke the game open with a 16-2 run to take an 84-68 advantage with 5.5 seconds left in the third quarter and later extended their lead to 22 points. Norman Powell torched Philly, scoring 26 points while making 6 of 8 three-pointers. Former Sixer James Harden added 18 points, but made just 5 of 15 shots.
Joel Embiid served the first game of his three-game suspension without pay for shoving Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes in the Sixers’ locker room. As a result, Embiid will make his season debut Tuesday night against the New York Knicks at the Wells Fargo Center. The 7-foot-2 center missed the entire preseason and the first seven games with left knee injury management.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse was asked what he makes of the suspension.
“Here’s what I make of it right now, I’m glad it’s done,” he said. “It seemed like it took a bit, right? Certainly expected it to happen, to come down. I think now we got a timeline on when we’re going to see him on the floor, and that’s going to be Tuesday, right? So, moving forward, I guess it’s OK. At least we know he’s going to be out there on Tuesday.”