Paul George reveals big mistake that spoiled final play of 76ers debut

11/05/2024 09:00 AM

Paul George made an instant impact in his first game for the Philadelphia 76ers, though he couldn't overcome a scorching-hot Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns. He looked rusty but instantly made their offense workable, taking the last shot with the game on the line despite Tyrese Maxey being on a heater. Not only did he miss but he didn't know the situation.

After the game, George admitted that he didn't know the score on the final play. He thought the Sixers were down by one, not two, so he went for the shot that would put them ahead. PG’s bucket from just inside the arc would have still come in handy, though he came up empty despite having a good matchup. He said it was "a bad evaluation" of the moment.

"Bad evaluation"

Paul George explains his poor decision-making on the final possession of the game. pic.twitter.com/wB0BaIpZvY

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) November 5, 2024

"I thought we were down one. I thought when KD made the layup, that put them up one," George said. "Otherwise, go for three to try to win the game as opposed to going for a two to tie the game. So, after watching it, another bone-headed play. Again, in that situation, why not go for the win? I got the matchup. Kyle [Lowry] did a great job of putting a favorite matchup in that situation. I got a good look. It rimmed in and out. You live with that at the end of the day."

Paul George misses game-tying shot in 76ers debut

George shot the ball poorly and was very prone to turnovers, committing six, but he mostly looked really good in his 76ers debut.

"I think the real positives, yes," Nick Nurse said about the Sixers showing more balance on offense with George in the fold. "Certainly, the biggest one is the 27 assists. That's a big number for us this year so far. Just one dynamic offensive creator changes a lot. There's a lot more space to play in, a lot more opportunities to move the basketball. I thought we did a good job of that."

One of the biggest positives from George’s debut was the fact that, despite being on a planned minutes restriction, he played over 31 minutes. That wasn't his plan but it worked out.

"Mywindwasbetterthanexpected," George told reporters. "Iwastired.There were momentsI was gassed but I wantedto play throughthat to buildtheenduranceupand helpmeforsurethenextcoupleofgamesofjust gettingthatup. I wasn’t supposed toplay31 butIwanted to play31,ifthat makes sense."

Although the 76ers fell to 1-5, they looked much, much better with PG – and that's a very nice silver lining.

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