George injured his knee in the second NBA preseason game with the 76ers

Paul George, the nine-time NBA All-Star who joined Philadelphia as a free agent in the offseason, hyperextended his left knee during a preseason win over the Atlanta Hawks, the team said Monday.

George was guarding Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson in the first half when he appeared to awkwardly plant his leg.

He played no further role after scoring eight points on three of five shooting with two rebounds, one assist and one steal in just over 12 minutes on the court.

George told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he felt the hyperextension and knew he needed to get the knee checked out, but added, “I’m not too worried about it.”

Sixers coach Nick Nurse said he was confident George would be back in action “immediately.”

George’s injury came a day after Philadelphia announced that star big man Joel Embiid would not play in a preseason game as part of the treatment plan for his surgically repaired left knee.

Embiid played in just 39 games last season due to a torn lateral meniscus, returning from surgery with seven games left in the regular season.

He was still wearing a knee brace when he helped the United States win gold at the Paris Olympics.

Asked Monday whether there were concerns about Embiid’s availability for the 76ers’ season-opening game against Milwaukee on Oct. 23, Nurse said he was “not really sure where we’re at with that.”

“But we are on the right track with the plan we have in place,” Nurse added.

BB/DH