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Paul George Drops 23 Points in 76ers’ Preseason Debut Against T-Wolves

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

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Updated12 Oct 2024

Paul George Drops 23 Points in Philadelphia 76ers Preseason Debut Against Timberwolves

NBA veteran forward Paul George scored a game-high 23 points in his Philadelphia 76ers’ preseason debut on Friday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In Philadelphia’s 121-111 loss to the Wolves in Des Moines, Iowa, George amassed six rebounds, two assists, and a steal while making 8 of 15 shots and draining four 3-pointers in 26 minutes of action.

The Sixers signed George to a four-year, $212 million contract as a free agent this summer.

Philadelphia is his fourth team, after seven years with Indiana, two with Oklahoma City, and the past five as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers. He is a nine-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA member.

“He looked good,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said of George. “I thought he was moving great. He created some shots on his own, etc. I thought he competed. He was on the glass.

“And he would have [had] a lot more rebounds if Drum [Andre Drummond] didn’t have a lot of those, too, but those two guys were up there on the glass going at it certainly. He certainly had a good game and looked really good out there.”

Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George dominated the stat sheet for head coach Nick Nurse’s Iowa homecoming

The exhibition matchup in Iowa was also a homecoming for Nurse. As a native of the Hawkeye State, Nurse coached Minnesota’s G League team when it was in Iowa and is the previous head coach at NAIA member Grand View University, located in Des Moines.

“It doesn’t come around very often that you get to bring an NBA team back to your old stomping grounds like this,” Nurse told The Philadelphia Inquirer in a recent interview.

“It’s nice that the connection between the Timberwolves and Iowa Wolves and [Minnesota coach Chris Finch] needed a game. And we were actually looking for a couple. So it fit pretty good. I’m excited to be here.”

The 76ers visit the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on Saturday to continue the preseason schedule. Philadelphia’s third exhibition game is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.