Joel Embiid looked as good as he has all season Wednesday in Memphis but the Grizzlies made it rain from three-point land, Paul George injured his left knee, and the Sixers lost their fifth consecutive game.
The 2-12 Sixers will be without Paul George for their weekend home games against the Nets and Clippers.
A team official said Thursday that George, who hyperextended his left knee in the Sixers’ loss to the Grizzlies, will be out for the next two games and re-evaluated Monday. An MRI on George’s left knee revealed no structural damage and he’s been diagnosed with a bone bruise, the official said.
George suffered the same injury during the preseason, which forced him to watch the Sixers’ 1-4 start from the sidelines. In eight outings since, he’s averaged 28.9 minutes and posted 14.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game. Besides a 29-point performance vs. the Knicks, George has shot significantly worse than his career norm. He’s made only 38.3 percent of his field goals and 27.8 percent of his three-pointers.
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Kyle Lowry (out with a right hip strain) was the one other Sixer on the team’s injury report for Friday’s game against the 6-9 Nets. Tyrese Maxey will presumably not yet be at full-go. He was limited to 20 minutes in Memphis following a six-game absence with a right hamstring injury and had a rough return, scoring eight points on 3-for-13 shooting.
Guerschon Yabusele appears to be among the Sixers due for an uptick in playing time with George out. He subbed in for the nine-time All-Star after his injury against the Grizzlies and played very well, tallying 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting, four rebounds and two assists.
Brooklyn’s Day’Ron Sharpe and Bojan Bogdanovic have been out with long-term injuries. The Nets listed Nic Claxton (lower back strain) and Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle sprain) as questionable. Cam Thomas (lower back tightness) was probable.
Friday’s game will be both the Sixers and Nets’ third in NBA Cup competition. That surely won’t be a source of motivation for the Sixers, who are 0-2 in East Group A play and have one home victory this season.