NBA fans react to Paul George’s Sixers debut in loss to the Timberwolves

The Philadelphia 76ers haven’t managed to get their brand new star trio on the field this preseason, but they took a step in the right direction on Friday night when Paul George made his debut with the team against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Nick Nurse’s homecoming to Iowa saw the Sixers and Timberwolves meet on neutral territory. Both sides missed out on an All-Star as the Wolves ruled out newly signed Julius Randle. Meanwhile, the Sixers didn’t have Joel Embiid on board.

After a comfortable win over the New Zealand Breakers, the Sixers were unable to find success against the Timberwolves on Friday. Minnesota defeated Philly 121-111, spoiling Paul George’s debut.

Luckily the game counts for nothing. On the bright side, the Sixers took some positives from George’s performance.

@akh1l_sol: “Paul G does the business!”

@M33vh__: “Oh yes, it’s time.”

@PartyonBroad: “Paul George got off to a slow start, but looked as good as advertised, and most importantly, attempted eight three-pointers in the first half 🤯”

@Phillyonmyown: “I can’t believe Paul George is a six.”

George logged 26 minutes of action on Friday. He shot 15 times from the field, making eight of his field goals. After three games, George took a 4-9 lead. He finished the game with a team-high 23 points. In addition to his goals, George collected six rebounds, two assists and one steal.

A dominant performance against the Breakers was expected. Another strong performance against the Timberwolves showed that Maxey’s hard work in the offseason has kept him fresh and ready to maintain a high level of play during the regular season.

@KevinOConnorNBA: “Maxey can get 30 ppg out of him at any point this season if the Sixers need it.”

@DavidEarly: “Maxey has been working on two-leg jump finishes with Drew Hanlen this offseason. The work works.”

@RobHodge_: “Paul George, Maxey and Embiid will be cooking.”

@_yocliff: “I can see that Maxey and PG are still learning to play off each other, but now that they’re just taking turns on offense, they’re getting where they want to go and that’s beautiful.”

Maxey finished the night with 21 points on 50 percent shooting from the field. He ended his shift after 26 minutes of use.

The Sixers return to action Saturday night against the Boston Celtics. Maxey and George could get a game off as the Sixers look to keep their starters fresh before the opener.

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