INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Paul George heard about it in his return to Los Angeles on Wednesday night for the first time since leaving the Clippers last summer for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Fans booed George when he was introduced at Intuit Dome, the Clippers’ new arena that wasn’t close to being full. They got vocal each time he touched the ball in the opening minutes, and he responded by hitting back-to-back 3-pointers that pulled the Sixers into an early tie.
“Boo him tonight and love him afterwards,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said before the game.
George was playing just his second game of the season after a left knee injury kept him out. He scored 15 points in 32 minutes of the Sixers’ 118-116 loss at Phoenix on Monday.
“He gave us just a little bit more versatility defensively,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said beforehand. “He’s 6-9 and can kind of cover multiple things. Gave us a little size. Certainly settled us down on the offensive end.”
Late in the first quarter, the Clippers played a George tribute video on the giant halo board above the court. He waved to acknowledge the polite applause.
“He’s a special talent,” Lue said. “He’s seen everything, seen every defense.”
In five seasons with the Clippers, the native of nearby Palmdale helped them to their first-ever Western Conference Finals appearance, but they were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs the last two years.
George opted out of his player option in his $48 million contract with the Clippers to become a free agent and was wooed to Philly to play with Joel Embiid. He has yet to play this season because of a knee injury and is now serving a three-game suspension for shoving a Philly sports columnist.
The Clippers are 3-4 to open the season, hardly the kind of start they want to help attract fans to their new building.
Another fan held up a sign reading “Paul G, Please Come Back.” The Clippers are without Kahwi Leonard, who has yet to play this season while nursing his surgically repaired right knee — again. Besides George, they also lost Russell Westbrook from their Big Four that is now down to Leonard and James Harden.
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