Sixers gain Tyrese Maxey, lose Paul George in loss at Memphis Grizzlies, dropping them to 2-12
Maxey scored eight points in 20 minutes, George left early in the second half with a left knee hyperextension, while Joel Embiid scored 35 points. But it wasn't enough in their fifth straight loss.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It was finally the debut of the 76ers’ All-Star trio.
And then it wasn’t.
Tyrese Maxey returned from a six-game absence with a hamstring injury Wednesday night, but Paul George left early in the second half with left knee hyperextension of a 117-111 loss to the Grizzlies Wednesday night at FedEx Forum to drop the Sixers to a continuously disastrous 2-12 to begin the season.
It is the same knee that George hyperextended during an Oct. 14 preseason at the Atlanta Hawks, which was then officially diagnosed as a knee bone bruise and caused him the first five games of the season. On Wednesday, Memphis’ Desmond Bane inadvertently landed on George’s foot while both went for a rebound, before George attempted to step and immediately crouched under the basket. After testing his legs, he then walked under his own power to the locker room.
» READ MORE: Sixers star Paul George leaves Grizzlies game early after suffering a left knee hyperextension
Before that, George had continued to struggle with his shot, going 1-of-6 from the floor for two points along with four rebounds and two assists. The 34-year-old George signed a four-year max contract this summer as the Sixers’ splashy free-agency addition, but has been injury prone in recent seasons.
Joel Embiid, meanwhile, put together his most productive game of the season, finishing with 35 points (10-of-21 from the floor, 14-of-14 from the free-throw line) and 11 rebounds. Maxey added eight points but was 3-of-13 from the floor while limited to 20 minutes.
Still, the Sixers made what looked to be headed toward a blowout interesting down the stretch. They sliced 19-point Grizzlies advantage to 115-111 on an Embiid falling finish with less than a minute to play, but Embiid tossed the ball out of bounds on the Sixers’ next possession and Jaren Jackson Jr. made two free throws.
The Sixers’ fifth consecutive loss came against a Grizzlies team playing without star guard Ja Morant and former defensive player of the year Marcus Smart, and on the second night of a back-to-back and its third game in four nights.
The Grizzlies had initially built a 63-53 halftime advantage, thanks to a giant three-point discrepancy. Memphis shot 13-of-26 from deep before the break, while the Sixers went 4-of-19.
» READ MORE: Nick Nurse, Tyrese Maxey hope ‘brutally honest’ team meeting serves as step in right direction
Rookie Jared McCain added 20 points in a game-high 40 minutes for the Sixers, and took on significant ballhandling duties with Maxey’s minutes limited and veteran backup Kyle Lowry out with a hip injury. Guerschon Yabusele was also a spark off the bench, scoring 17 points and making 5-of-6 attempts from beyond the arc.
The Sixers next face a three-game homestand on Friday against the Brooklyn Nets (7 p.m., NBCSP), Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers (6 p.m., NBCSP), and next Wednesday against the Houston Rockets 7 p.m., NBCSP).