3 observations after George misses game-tying try in debut, Sixers fall to Suns originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Sixers were on the verge of an uplifting and exciting victory on Monday night.
They couldn’t hang on, falling to 1-5 on the season with a 118-116 loss to the Suns in Paul George’s debut with the Sixers. Phoenix improved to 6-1.
After Kevin Durant (35 points on 14-of-20 shooting) drove past Guerschon Yabusele and scored a layup, George got a changeup that the Sixers liked against Grayson Allen. He narrowly missed a long two-point shot that would have tied the game with about three seconds remaining.
In his return from a bruised left knee, George played 32 minutes and recorded 15 points on 4-of-14 shooting, five rebounds and four assists.
Tyrese Maxey had 32 points on 12-of-22 shooting.
Joel Embiid (left knee injury management) was the only player missing from the Sixers. The team’s 1-5 start is its worst in six games since the 2016-17 season.
Next up is a trip to Los Angeles for meetings with the Clippers on Wednesday night and the Lakers on Friday.
Here are some observations from the Sixers’ loss in Phoenix:
Georgethe beginnings
George had to wait a while for his first Sixers hoop.
He attempted a baseline jumper on the Sixers’ first play and failed. On the final possession of the first quarter, George missed a runner attempt against Suns rookie Ryan Dunn and fell to 0 for 5 from the field.
A catch-and-shoot corner three and quick release about 15 seconds into the second quarter broke the ice.
George played shorter stints than usual on Monday in his first game since Oct. 14. The foul trouble didn’t help in the first half either as he struggled to get into a personal rhythm and develop chemistry with his new teammates. George committed his third foul at 11:17 of the second quarter and was replaced.
He made a highlight play late in the second half, spinning to the rim, then finishing an off-balance and a layup in heavy traffic.
George didn’t have a good passing night statistically (four assists, seven turnovers) and was rusty at times, but he showed the ability to handle the ball confidently in pick-and-rolls, putting pressure on defense and finding open teammates. . It’s obvious that he should attract a lot of attention from defenses and overall improve the Sixers’ offense.
George’s poor draw was another positive on Monday. He shot a team-high seven free throws and made six of them.
In the end, everything will probably look pretty sour for George and the Sixers due to the final minutes. His last successful field goal came at 10:03 of the third quarter.
Bench buckets
The Sixers fell to 0 of 6 from three-point range on a Kelly Oubre Jr. aerial ball. Andre Drummond committed four early turnovers, including some occasional bad passes in the backcourt, and the Sixers faced an 11-point deficit in the first quarter.
Yabusele and Kyle Lowry gave the Sixers the role scoring needed, each knocking down a couple of threes in the first quarter. Lowry is now a scorching 15-for-25 (60%) on the season from long range.
Eric Gordon nailed a three in front of the Sixers bench, then added two free throws and a nifty layup during a 9-0 run. As a team, the Sixers have improved a lot in terms of pace and offensive determination.
Jared McCain also had a triple in the second quarter. The Sixers bench ultimately put up 29 points in the first half on 10 of 17 shooting and 10 assists.
Yabusele was massive offensively all night and Sixers head coach Nick Nurse played him against Drummond at center for the entire fourth quarter.
As he showed this summer at the Olympics, Yabusele is ready for any situation. He slipped a side pick-and-roll with George in the fourth and had a powerful dunk over 7-footer Jusuf Nurkić. Yabusele set new NBA career highs in points (19), rebounds (seven) and assists (six).
Durant steals the show late
The Phoenix offense didn’t have many issues against man-to-man or zone defense. It’s almost impossible to distract Durant from his game and score very effectively.
The Sixers still had some good pieces of competitive team defense. They were effective against Devin Booker, who often burned the Sixers but was just 3 of 18 on Monday. The team also held strong on the rebound.
Maxey kicked it into high gear in the third quarter, ensuring the Sixers stuck with Phoenix. He surpassed 5,000 career NBA points on his 24th birthday with a deep three, nailed a step-back jumper over Allen and scored an and-one layup over Durant late in the shot clock.
Maxey played his season average of 41 minutes, but he looked awfully fresh early in the fourth quarter. He made two more three-pointers and the Sixers extended their lead to 113-104 with just over five minutes remaining.
However, they failed to achieve a victory.
Durant was unstoppable and the Sixers failed to find a dagger offensively. Oubre fouled out with 1:40 left and Lowry entered. Caleb Martin missed a baseline jumper after Phoenix hit George and forced the ball out of his hands. Maxey tied the score at 116 with 49.6 seconds left, but then missed his second free throw.
There are always regrettable moments and decisions to question in a loss (Nurse didn’t call a timeout before the final play, for example), but the Sixers were so close to a victory high quality and well deserved.
If it weren’t for Durant’s heroics, they would have had him.
