Sixers All-Star forward Paul George
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Sixers All-Star forward Paul George
The Philadelphia 76ers finally got Paul George back on the floor Wednesday night — and it didn’t take long for him to make his presence felt.
In a 157-137 win over the Chicago Bulls, George finished with 28 points and six 3-pointers, shaking off a rough shooting start to take over in the second half. It marked his first game back to the 76ers after serving a 25-game suspension, and it came at a time when the team needed it most.
Joel Embiid led the way with 35 points, seven assists and six rebounds in just 28 minutes, but George’s second-half surge was just as important. After opening the night 1-of-9 from the field, the veteran forward flipped the script and looked like a completely different player after halftime.
“This was a professional win for us,” George said. “We came out and took care of business.”
Philadelphia needed exactly that.
The Sixers entered the night in the middle of a tight Eastern Conference playoff race, still trying to climb out of the play-in range. And while the Bulls aren’t exactly pushing for wins at this stage of the season, the Sixers still had to go out and handle business.
They did — in one of their most complete performances of the year.
Paul George, Joel Embiid Spark Offensive Explosion
It’s not a coincidence that the Sixers posted their highest point total since 1986 with both George and Embiid back in the lineup.
For the first time in weeks, Philadelphia looked like a team with real offensive flow. The ball moved. The spacing worked. The scoring came in waves.
“It was a good night,” Embiid said. “Getting Paul back was good… we need to get him in a rhythm.”
That rhythm showed up quickly.
George started where he left off prior to the suspension — steady iso scoring and controlled stretches of the game. He knocked down perimeter shots, and looked far more comfortable than he had earlier in the season on the perimeter. Defensively, he was active. Offensively, he was decisive.
That version of George changes things.
It gives the Sixers another option late in games. It eases the pressure on Embiid. And it creates balance across the floor that hasn’t consistently been there this season.
The return also comes at a time when Philadelphia is still dealing with injuries. Tyrese Maxey remains sidelined, but rookie guard VJ Edgecombe continues to emerge. He finished with 22 points, six assists and six rebounds against Chicago, showing how much his role has grown during this stretch.
76ers Showing Signs of Life at the Right Time
For weeks, the Sixers have been trying to stay afloat.
Injuries, absences, and inconsistency have defined much of their season. But Wednesday night felt like things could be looking up.
Philadelphia sits at 40-33 and still has work to do to secure a top-six seed in the East. With key matchups against the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat coming up, the margin for error is gone.
After everything — the suspension, the time away, the mental reset — his return is an enormous impact.
And if Wednesday night was any indication, the Sixers might finally be getting the version of George they’ve been waiting for.