PHILADELPHIA - Paul George was not credited with an assist on this early-game sequence. But it illustrated how his presence creates offense for the 76ers.
Early in the first quarter of Friday's rematch against the Orlando Magic, George drew the extra defender on a drive, then kicked the ball to Guerschon Yabusele in the right corner. Yabusele then rapidly swung a pass to Tyrese Maxey on the wing for a wide-open three-pointer, which the All-Star guard buried.
"When you can put two [defenders] on the basketball and start a chain reaction, that's always great basketball," George said after the game. "That's just what I try to do."
George followed up his best individual performance as a Sixer earlier this week with another strong outing in his new team's most impressive victory so far this season, a 102-94 triumph at the Wells Fargo Center. The perennial All-Star finished with 21 points and nine assists against the Magic's top-notch defense, helping fuel a Sixers team that has won three of its past four games and finally appears to be gaining some momentum following its horrendous, injury-riddled start to the season.
"Within the offense, within the style of play, I am comfortable with finding shots, finding rhythm," George said. "And then, just being aggressive, being in attack mode. [Coach Nick Nurse] is allowing me to just play, and I think, at this point, the guys expect me to be aggressive and make plays."
George generated opportunities for himself and teammates through his trademark blend of smooth, multilevel scoring and facilitating.
He was responsible for the Sixers' first two buckets, a 17-foot pull-up and a fadeaway jumper within the game's first minute. He then dished the ball to Yabusele for an and-1 finish inside, lobbed a pass to KJ Martin for an alley-oop slam, and found Kelly Oubre Jr. barreling down the lane for a jam. Later, George helped hold off the Magic's final push by hitting a jumper, drawing a foul after bringing the ball up the floor, and setting Yabusele up for a three-pointer.
And George's two deep shots came at critical moments. He forced a Magic timeout after a second-quarter make (and scream), opening up a 35-27 Sixers lead. Later, he held a leaning follow-through after draining the attempt that put his team up 17 points early in the final frame.
"The big thing is," Sixers coach Nick Nurse said, "when you can shake somebody down when you're covered, and look them in the eye and nail a three. Those are baskets teams make in the NBA. To have a guy that can do that is important."
George's effort helped the Sixers withstand a night when Maxey - who has shouldered so much while George and 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid have been sidelined with knee injuries - went 5 of 17 from the floor. And it was a carryover from Tuesday's win at the Charlotte Hornets, when George matched his season high with 29 points on 6-of-9 shooting from long range, and added eight assists and two steals. George has also been instrumental on the defensive end. On Friday, the Sixers held the Magic to 42% shooting and forced 18 turnovers. Beyond his physical size and versatility, Nurse lauds how well George does the "little things." He also has a significant voice on that end, talking through coverages in real time.
And George has strung these consecutive outings together while acknowledging he remains "a little limited" by the bulky brace protecting his left knee that has hyperextended twice since Oct. 14, resulting in bone bruises. He missed Wednesday's loss to the Magic, taking the second night of a back-to-back to rest and recover. Friday, he said he was still "a little hesitant" with side-to-side movement, but has been forced to play more with "a blueprint of not messing around" with the ball in his hands.
"Just getting straight to the point and play downhill," George said. "It almost has helped, I think, in a way, of just slowing me down a little bit and allowing the game to come to me. But you'll see when that brace comes off, how I'm able to play."
That is one of several checkpoints George must cross as he attempts to gain consistency and his team tries to claw out of its 6-15 start. The trio of George, Maxey, and Embiid still have played a grand total of six minutes together all season, and will need to adjust whenever the superstar big man returns. In the meantime, Nurse turned to a Maxey-George two-man game down the stretch Friday, with results the coach called "pretty good" as the Sixers closed out the win.
But even when George was out of the lineup earlier this season, the Sixers felt his impact. He was "in the mud," Oubre said, with teammates and coaches during practices and shootarounds, aiming to minimize the learning curve when he returned. And whenever George spoke up, "We're all locked in and listening," Oubre added.
"Because he is who he is," Oubre said. "And it just means a lot to this team. We're going to continue to just follow his lead, and just continue to get better along with him."
Because on the floor, George is now starting to look like ... Paul George.
"In Charlotte, I was telling him, like, 'Dude, just be yourself. Be who you are, and we can kind of figure it out around you,'" Maxey said. "He was great tonight again. He started us off, and he finished us off well."
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