Paul George Addresses Injury Concern in 76ers-Hornets Matchup

Paul George explained what happened during the first half of Sunday's game against the Hornets.

Nov 10, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) is tended to after an apparent collision during the first quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The last thing the Philadelphia 76ers need is another setback. Through the first nine games of the 2024-2025 NBA season, the Sixers have yet to see their star trio of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George on the floor together.

For Sunday night’s matchup between the Sixers and the Charlotte Hornets, Embiid and Maxey missed the action. Early on in the game, the Sixers dealt with another injury scare with Paul George.

The veteran forward crashed to the floor after getting in the face. The officials stopped the action, and players from both teams walked back to their benches. Andre Drummond, along with members of the Sixers’ medical staff, rushed over to George to check on him.

The situation looked a lot worse than it turned out to be. While George experienced pain in that moment, he managed to stay in the game after getting a breather through a timeout. After the game, George explained what happened, and deteailed how he was feeling.

Paul George getting up after a collision

He just came back in pic.twitter.com/ZFwgHqX1US

— Darko Dželetović (@DarkoBasketball) November 11, 2024

“Finger right in the eye,” the forward said on Sunday night. “Just kind of knocked the whole vision. I couldn’t see, it was blurry. It kind of hung around for a little bit.”

As expected, George didn’t quite play a full shift against the Hornets. Lately, the All-Star has been on a minute restriction after coming back from a bruised knee.

76ers head coach Nick Nurse confirmed after Sunday’s game that George’s lack of playing time down the stretch in overtime was simply the team sticking to its plan—not because a new setback came about.

Sixers guard Paul George gets introduced before his first game in Philly. pic.twitter.com/Cu3r4cK5L5

— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) November 11, 2024

George finished Sunday’s game with 15 points, nine assists, three rebounds, and two steals. Although he wasn’t a factor in overtime, the Sixers received a major boost from the rookie Jared McCain. The former first-rounder led his team to the win column as the Sixers defeated the Hornets 107-105.

The Sixers will return to the court on Tuesday night and will play their Atlantic Division rival, the New York Knicks, for the first set of group play in the NBA Cup. The game will mark George's second home game since joining the Sixers over the summer.