Paul George’s homecoming takes center stage as Sixers take on Los Angeles Clippers

LOS ANGELES — What figured to be an opportunity for Paul George to show that the grass is greener in Philly has instead morphed into a battle between two undermanned teams.

The question when the 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers meet Wednesday night at the Intuit Dome won’t be whether the trio of George, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey is better than the Clippers’ group of George, Kawhi Leonard, and James Harden. It won’t be which team is closer to a championship or whether Nick Nurse or Ty Lue is a better coach.

The primary question will be whether either team can get healthy.

The Clippers (3-4) will look to win a second consecutive home game after dropping their first four at their new $2 billion arena. The Sixers (1-5) will look to snap a three-game skid and find a way to close out a game.

» READ MORE: NBA suspends Joel Embiid for three games after locker room altercation with Inquirer columnist

But, ultimately, Wednesday’s game is about George’s possible homecoming. The 6-foot-8 forward, who viewed the Clippers’ initial offer as disrespectful, accepted a four-year, $211.5 million maximum contract to form a Big Three with Embiid and Maxey.

George, who has been vocal since leaving his hometown, will be bombarded by the Los Angeles media with questions about why he left. He could even be painted as Benedict Arnold or the Prodigal Son, considering the Sixers’ struggles and drama.

But those storylines will not be top of mind for George and the Sixers. For now, the team’s primary focus is finding ways to steal wins.

George is listed as probable to face the Clippers due to the left knee bone bruise that forced him to miss this season’s first five games.

The Sixers had hoped Embiid, their franchise player, would make his season debut during this three-game road trip. However, the league announced Tuesday afternoon that he would be suspended three games without pay for shoving Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes in the Sixers’ locker room.

As a result, the 7-foot-2 center will miss Wednesday’s contest, Friday’s matchup at the Lakers, and Sunday’s home game against the Charlotte Hornets. This comes after Embiid missed the entire preseason and first six regular-season games because of left knee injury management.

» READ MORE: Paul George showed his rust in Sixers debut, but played ‘free of any thoughts’ about his knee injury

“I mean, it’s difficult,” Nurse said when asked if the Embiid situation was a distraction. “I think it’s more difficult with the fact that you are missing such talent. It’s difficult to have an incredible player like him out and then to have an incredible player alongside him like Paul also out [for the first five games].

“Again, I mentioned thrusting other players into roles that you bump everybody up the line a couple of notches and everybody’s new, too. So we’ve got a lot of challenges right now.”

George’s homecoming will come after he made his Sixers debut against the Phoenix Suns on Monday. He produced 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists in a 118-116 loss. He played without limitations after being sidelined since Oct. 14 with a hyperextended left knee, which resulted in the bone bruise.

George’s presence was felt. His ability to create shots for teammates enabled the Sixers to be more competitive than they were in their previous four losses.

“I think there were certainly real positives,” Nurse said. “I think one of the biggest is that we had 27 assists. That’s like a big number for us this season so far. So we can see what adding one dynamic creator to our offense does. It changes a lot for us. There’s a lot more space to move the ball, and there’s a lot more opportunities for the guys on the floor.”

Meanwhile, the Clippers were elated, as Lue said Monday, to get the “gorilla off our backs” by winning a game in their new arena. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak.

» READ MORE: Paul George scores 15 in debut, but Suns star Kevin Durant hands Sixers their third straight loss

And like the Sixers, they’ve been hampered by injuries, with Leonard (inflammation of the right knee) missing all seven games. Asked Monday if he knew when the All-Star would come back, Lue responded: “No.”

Regardless who is on the schedule, the Sixers know they have to be better down the stretch. And they think they’re a much more balanced team with George.