Paul George and the Sixers hope his recent hot performance is a sign of things to come

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Paul George joined the 76ers to complement fellow standouts Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

The nine-time All-Star was focused on serving as a facilitator and elite defender who could take the scoring pressure off the duo when needed.

Well, the Sixers (5-14) needed him to provide much more Tuesday night, and George delivered in a big way.

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The 6-foot-8, 220-pounder tied a season high with 29 points on 10-for-16 shooting in the 110-104 NBA Cup victory over the Charlotte Hornets (6-15). George made 6 of 9 three-pointers while also tallying eight assists, two steals, and a block in 37 minutes, 17 seconds at the Spectrum Center.

“I think when things get tough, you need bucket makers out there,” coach Nick Nurse said of George. “He had the ball a lot and, he made some late. I think he gives our guys confidence, especially Tyrese, to have somebody else that he can go back and forth with a little bit. I think that gives us a lot of confidence.”

George put his imprint on the game in the second quarter, when he scored 11 points while making 3 of 4 three-pointers and 4 of 7 shots overall. At the time, he was carrying his Sixers teammates, who shot 5-for-17 in the quarter.

And after the Hornets battled back to knot the score, 95-95, George responded with a 19-foot pull-up jumper with 2:54 remaining. He later assisted on Guerschon Yabusele’s cutting layup to unlock another tie. George scored 10 points on 3-for-3 shooting — including two three-pointers — and had three assists while playing the entire fourth quarter.

George also excelled as a facilitator Saturday in the Sixers' 111-96 victory over the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. That was his first game back after missing the previous three with a bone bruise in his left knee.

“I think just trusting the work and trusting the knee,” George said of his success early against Charlotte. “It helped in Detroit getting downhill, playing, creating for teammates. That kind of got me into a rhythm that game of knowing what shots I can get and being more aggressive.

“[On Tuesday night], those same opportunities presented itself, and I was ready to take some of those looks.”

» READ MORE: Sixers’ Guerschon Yabusele makes the second time the charm through will and skill

George will have to wait until Friday to try build upon Tuesday’s success. He’ll miss Wednesday night’s game against the Orlando Magic at the Wells Fargo Center to allow his left knee to recover. George should be available when the Sixers host the Magic (15-8) again on Friday.

But as the team’s top offseason acquisition, George is averaging 15.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.1 steals. Wednesday’s contest will mark the 10th game he’ll miss largely because of separate left knee bone bruises. George’s field-goal percentage (.407) and three-point percentage (.338) are the second-worst marks in his 15 seasons.

So George and the Sixers hope Tuesday’s display was a sign that his shooting is back on track.