Philadelphia 76ers Could Miss Paul George vs Cavaliers on Saturday

Paul George is questionable to play for the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.

Dec 8, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) brings the ball up court against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Following Friday night’s matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Charlotte Hornets, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse quickly addressed the status of Joel Embiid and Paul George for Saturday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The plan was that Paul George would in, and Joel Embiid would get the night off.

One of those statuses is certain—the other is not.

Embiid has been ruled out against the Cavs on Saturday, but George’s status starts at questionable. According to the official NBA injury report, George is in question due to a left knee impingement.

Dec 16, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) drives past Charlotte Hornets guard Josh Green (10) during the first half at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images / Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

Since the preseason, George has been dealing with a knee concern. A preseason injury put his Sixers debut on hold for five games. After debuting, George appeared in eight of his next nine games, but then he suffered another setback in Memphis.

The nine-time All-Star proceeded to miss three games in a row.

This recent stretch has been George’s most consistent yet. Since his return on November 30, he’s appeared in seven of the last eight games. His absence against the Orlando Magic on December 4 was due to getting a rest night on the second matchup of a back-to-back set.

George hoped to break the trend of getting rest on night two this weekend, but it seems he could be in danger of missing the action.

For what it’s worth, George spoke like a player who felt good enough to play on Saturday in Cleveland following Friday’s win over Charlotte.

"I want to try to continue to keep fighting," George told reporters via Sixers Wire. "My body is allowing me to so just want to continue to keep momentum going with this unit. We've been playing well and I feel good. I feel good so I'm gonna continue to lace it up."

George will likely be a game-time decision on Saturday night. The Sixers and the Cavaliers will tip-off at 8 PM ET.