Paul George missed his 16th game of the 2024-25 season on Wednesday night. Without Joel Embiid or PG, Tyrese Maxey has spurred the Sixers onto a four-game winning streak. But that might end at the hands of Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets tonight.
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George remains out on the injury report due to his left finger injury. The pinky on his non-shooting hand has incurred an extensor tendon injury, which occurs when the first joint of the finger is overextended or dislocated.
Thankfully, PG’s designation doesn’t suggest that he has a fracture as the recovery timeline for that would be substantially longer. The 34-year-old has already missed two games due to the injury and is expected to miss his third straight tonight.
He scored 9 points against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night before hurting his finger. He would check out of the game in the second quarter, forcing Maxey to step up and put up 31 points to lead Philadelphia to a road win.
In the following two games, Maxey would score over 30 points each time, including a 43-point outburst against the Lakers on Tuesday. The 24-year-old has been one of the sole bright spots in an injury-laden season for the 76ers, but it’s unlikely that they will reach .500 basketball without Embiid and PG.
Philly’s head coach Nick Nurse had provided an ambiguous update on George’s injury before their game against the Kings.
“They are trying to figure out some ways to get him on the court so that his finger’s okay with the way that it’s going to be taped or bandaged, or casted, or splinted, or whatever the options are, then he can hopefully, keep it safe and get out there in something that he’s comfortable with and as soon as we get to that point, we should be in a pretty good place,” Nurse said.
What is promising though, is that George was seen putting up shots before Wednesday night’s matchup. This suggests that he can still use his non-shooting hand without too much pain and hopefully, the Sixers can soon figure out the most sustainable way to return him to the lineup.
However, that won’t be the end of their woes. Along with PG, Embiid, Andre Drummond, Caleb Martin and KJ Martin, all remain ‘out’ on the team’s injury report.
Joel hasn’t suited up for the Sixers since January 4th. The 2023 NBA MVP has already missed 33 games this season and the last time he faced off against Jokic was one year ago on January 16th, 2024.
