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Philadelphia 76ers’ Paul George Hopes to Break Trend vs Cavaliers

Paul George is looking to break the trend of resting on back to backs.
Justin Grasso|
Dec 20, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) controls the ball against the Charlotte Hornets in the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Dec 20, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) controls the ball against the Charlotte Hornets in the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

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Philadelphia 76ersCleveland Cavaliers

Back-to-backs have been difficult to deal with this season for the Philadelphia 76ers. Outside of Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers haven’t been able to get their other two All-Stars on the floor for two games in two days all season long. Paul George expects to break that trend on Saturday night.

"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."

Dealing with a minor knee injury on multiple occasions this season, George has dealt with scheduled rest days and minute restrictions more than he expected to when he signed on with the Sixers over the summer.

At this point, George has tied his longest stretch of games played consecutively this season after seeing the court for five games in a row on Friday night against the Charlotte Hornets.

During George’s first and only other five-game stretch this year, he averaged fewer than 30 minutes on the floor. This time around, his minutes are up to 37 per game.

After the Sixers defeated the Hornets for the fourth time this season and the second time this week on Friday, the head coach, Nick Nurse, assured everybody that George planned to play on Saturday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Sixers will have an All-Star duo available for two nights in a row for the first time this season.

Saturday’s game offers the Sixers a stiff challenge. They are set to face the Eastern Conference’s top team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Recently, the Cavs won three games in a row, and have just four losses on the year.

Meanwhile, the Sixers are slowly improving after sitting near the bottom of the Eastern Conference for a bit. With the presence of George, who has been averaging 17 points, six rebounds, and six assists, they should have a chance at putting up a better fight against a red-hot Cavs squad on Saturday.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. 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 Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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