Nick Nurse Addresses Paul George’s Early Absence in 76ers-Bulls

What's next for Paul George?
Jan 24, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) high fives guard Tyrese Maxey (0) after scoring during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Jan 24, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) high fives guard Tyrese Maxey (0) after scoring during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

As the Philadelphia 76ers worked on putting away the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night, they lost their nine-time All-Star Paul George to an injury.

After seeing the court for roughly 13 minutes in the first half, George was not a part of the team’s starting lineup when they came out for the start of the third quarter. George was replaced by Justin Edwards.

Shortly after, the Sixers ruled out George for the night. Accoring to reports, the star forward was dealing with a finger injury. He ended his outing in Chicago with nine points, one rebound, and one assist. He went 3-6 from the field.

After the game, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse addressed George’s early absence, noting he would get an MRI on Sunday to check on his in-game setback.

Without George, the Sixers managed to close out the matchup on Saturday with another victory.

The star guard Tyrese Maxey collected 31 points, nine assists, and five rebounds in 43 minutes of action. He shot 12-23 from the field, making five of his 13 three-point attempts.

Kelly Oubre came second in scoring for the Sixers, as he produced 22 points. Once again, Oubre had another impressive night on the glass, racking up a double-double by coming down with 12 rebounds.

With wins over the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Bulls in a back-to-back set, the Sixers improved to 17-27 on the year, collecting two-straight wins after a seven-game skid.

The Sixers haven’t improved their place in the Eastern Conference just year, but they moved within one game of the Bulls, who hold the 10th seed.

Now, the Sixers are focused on the health of George and several other players as they return home for a long stretch of games in South Philly.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA