PHILADELPHIA – The Sixers have found their comeback magic once again.
Heading into Monday night's game between the Sixers and Los Angeles Clippers, the obvious headliner figured to be Paul George making his season debut against his former team. But George's rust was evident all night long, and the attention shifted to a lifeless Sixers offense. Then, once again, the Sixers found something in the guts of the game.
Trailing by 10 points entering the fourth quarter, the Sixers found life, with Tyrese Maxey's dazzling scoring bringing them within striking distance. VJ Edgecombe chipped in with another crucial late-game triple, Quentin Grimes handled the challenging James Harden assignment better than any of his teammates had earlier in the game while also chipping in with some critical buckets. The Sixers nearly allowed the Clippers to steal the game when Edgecombe missed two free throws and Maxey turned the ball over, but back-to-back missed triples from Harden sealed the Sixers' 110-108 victory.
Everything that stood out from Monday's action, from George's debut to many interesting rotation subplots and more:
### Paul George makes his season debut
The Sixers tried to keep their cards close to the vest all day on Monday, waiting until starting lineups were due to make George's return officially official. But as soon as they made him questionable to play on Sunday evening, it was clear that George's 12-game absence would come to an end with his former team in town.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said pregame that George's minutes would be limited if he played, but that the nine-time All-Star would start. Indeed he did, alongside Maxey and Edgecombe in the backcourt, plus Andre Drummond in the middle and Dominick Barlow replacing Trendon Watford at power forward. That spot at the four had been earmarked for George for a long time, but Kelly Oubre Jr.'s left knee injury created a sudden need on the wing.
George wasted no time getting himself back into the action, spotting up from beyond the arc on the Sixers' very first possession and knocking the shot down over Harden, an old friend of the Sixers and a former teammate of George's who surprisingly held down the primary defensive assignment against the nine-time All-Star:
Almost immediately after, George drew a three-point shooting foul and made a pair of free throws, beginning his season with a personal 5-0 run. However, his former team immediately responded with a 14-0 run, a stretch during which George missed three triples. He was a very active participant in the Sixers' offense right away, though, and looked like someone with a lot less timidity than the average player who had not played in an NBA game since the beginning of March.
After missing a step-back mid-range jumper – one that looked a lot like many of his misses last season – George drew two defenders on a drive and then kicked the ball out to Edgecombe for a triple. It was a nice way to punctuate a stint that lasted five minutes and 33 seconds:
George returned to begin the second quarter, and looked to be more assertive as a creator for others. Without Maxey in the game, George was joining the tag-team of Edgecombe and Grimes in terms of playmaking, with Jared McCain also on the floor but limited as a facilitator. George got into the paint for a bucket, but it was a five-minute burst that was pretty quiet otherwise. It completed his 10 minutes of work in the first half.
When George returned to begin the second half, he played a slightly longer stint – just over seven minutes – but did not do much to impact the game. He missed a three and drew a pair of fouls, splitting the free throws both times. His impact was most obvious on the glass. For all of George's warts since joining the Sixers and the rust that was understandably existent on Monday, his 6-foot-8 frame, long arms and solid instincts should enable him to be one of this team's most consistent rebounders.
Even with George not yet able to assert his will on the game as a scorer, he is someone the Sixers can trust with the ball in his hands, and that in itself can do a lot for an offense. George assisted a Maxey three to begin the fourth quarter, then simultaneously directed Drummond to the corner and found him for a momentum-shifting triple.
George definitely did not play poorly, even though he missed a bunch of shots he would tell you he can make in his sleep. But his most significant use out there was just being out there as someone the opposing team will pay close attention to. Early on in his return to play, he can reasonably be used as a decoy of sorts on offense whose primary utility is attracting attention. But even if George never returns to the star-level offensive usage of his years past, he needs to be a serious threat to score in one-on-one situations. Far too often last year, he proved to not be that.
A one-game sample in 2025-26 means it is way too early to make any declarative statements, but George did not inspire any confidence in his off-the-dribble scoring on Monday.
### Nick Nurse passes on Johni Broome
Asked on Sunday if Joel Embiid (right knee injury management) and Adem Bona (right ankle) being out could lead to rookie center Johni Broome getting his first taste of rotation minutes, Nurse was not exactly effusive in his response.
"Maybe, yeah," Nurse said. "We'll look at it."
Pregame, Nurse was equally mum about how he would piece together his backup center mix behind Drummond. Asked again about the idea of playing Broome as well as the small-ball options in Barlow and Jabari Walker, Nurse merely acknowledged that all three players were in consideration, offering no hints about where he was leaning.
It turns out, Nurse is not quite ready to get the No. 35 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft out on the floor, despite volunteering a comment a few weeks ago that he had wishes Broome had already logged some rotation minutes. Barlow was the first player to man the middle with Drummond on the bench, and he was eventually replaced by Walker.
Barlow's minutes were strong once again, even though he did not grab any rebounds in the entire first half. He had a flurry of impressive drives and kept the ball moving; Nurse has described both Barlow and Broome as good "ball transfer" players because they either initiate a drive or keep the ball moving to the next guy quickly.
It is reasonable to argue that both of the Sixers' two-way power forwards can slide up to the five and give the team better minutes than Broome, but Bona's absence in particular made this a rare occasion in which it felt like Broome had a clear path to minutes. Barlow and Walker have been rotation members all season when healthy and they could have remained so even if Broome played. The opportunity was not taken advantage of, for better or worse.
The season is long; this should not incite any alarms about Broome's status. The Sixers liked him for years before drafting him and a gradual progression toward minutes was always part of the plan for the 23-year-old. By the end of the season, though, Broome should certainly be seen as a consistently viable NBA player.
### Odds and ends
Some additional notes:
• Before the game, Nurse raved about former Sixers wing Nic Batum, one of his favorites during his time coaching the Sixers. Batum seems to leave the same impression at every stop.
"Just incredible IQ," Nurse said. "Such a smart player. One of the smartest I've ever coached... I've always admired the way he plays the game."
• For the second consecutive game, Nurse opted to start different lineups in each half. It is a tactic that has worked for him in years and stops past, and one he is hoping will help solve the Sixers' constant troubles in third quarters. Nurse removed Barlow from the opening unit after intermission, replacing him with Grimes and sliding George up to the four.
• Nurse said pregame that there is not yet an update on Oubre's status or timeline for a return, but that one could be provided very soon. The injury Oubre suffered on Friday night was to his LCL, the team confirmed over the weekend, and his designation on the injury report for Monday's game was "left knee sprain."
**Up next**: The Sixers will return to action on their home floor on Wednesday night, playing host to the Toronto Raptors in a home-road back-to-back which leads them to Milwaukee the following evening.
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