Nick Nurse Addresses 76ers' Injury Scare After Win Over Hawks

Nick Nurse discussed the Paul George injury scare on Monday night in Atlanta.

Oct 11, 2024; Des Moines, Iowa, USA; Philadelphia 76ers Head Coach Nick Nurse watches his team play the Minnesota Timberwolves at Wells Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images / Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia 76ers pulled off their second win of the 2024 NBA Preseason Monday night against the Atlanta Hawks. A sequence from the second quarter is all most can think about now.

As the Sixers worked on building their lead midway through the second quarter, they saw their nine-time All-Star forward deal with a potential knee injury.

George went back to the locker room before halftime and didn’t return in the second half. As the Sixers closed out Monday night’s matchup, the team officially ruled George out. He was reportedly dealing with a left knee hyperextension.

After the game, Nick Nurse addressed the setback and acknowledged the unfortunate timing.

“Certainly trying to work him into things, and he wants to work into things too,” the head coach told reporters, according to Gina Mizell of The Inquirer. “This doesn’t give him a chance to do that. Hopefully, it’ll be OK so he’s back with us right away.”

Nick Nurse on the timing of Paul George’s injury: “Certainly trying to work him into things, and he wants to work into things too. So this doesn’t give him a chance to do that. Hopefully it’ll be OK so he’s back with us right away.”

— Gina Mizell (@ginamizell) October 15, 2024

Following the game, the Sixers don’t have a timeline in place for George just yet. On Wednesday, they’ll have a matchup against the Brooklyn Nets. Depending on further testing, it’s safe to say George’s availability for that game is up in the air.

This preseason, the Sixers have played without George on two occasions. They also went through their first four games of the preseason playing without the All-Star center, Joel Embiid.

After a busy summer, Embiid is on a management plan since he had knee surgery less than a year ago. As of Sunday, the Sixers ruled out Embiid for the entire preseason.

As for George, he missed two games last week. For the first outing against the New Zealand Breakers, George got a rest night. The situation was the same on Saturday when the Sixers played the Boston Celtics on a back-to-back after George’s preseason debut with the team.

Being that he’s new to the system and such a focal point for Philly’s gameplan, George’s preseason run was beneficial. Unfortunately, he’s in danger of missing some time, depending on how he feels moving forward.