76ers Lose To Clippers 110-98 In Paul George’s Return To Los Angeles
Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) defends against Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
The 76ers were defeated by the Los Angeles Clippers 110-98 in the second game of their three-game West Coast road trip.
Paul George made his highly anticipated return to Los Angeles to face his former team for the first time since departing after five seasons with the Clippers. It was also the first game the 76ers have played in the Clippers’ new arena, the Intuit Dome.
George led the way for the 76ers, finishing with 18 points, seven rebounds, and three steals, shooting 7-for-9 from the field and 2-for-3 from three. Tyrese Maxey added just 12 points after suffering a hamstring injury in the loss, while former 76er James Harden finished with 18 points and Normal Powell added 26 points off six three-pointers for the Clippers.
In the first quarter, George came out looking like the guy the 76ers paid $211 million for, knocking down a pair of threes in the first four minutes of action. Another pair of threes, this time from Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr. kept the 76ers out in front and helped them go-ahead over Los Angeles 27-24 after the first 12 minutes of play.
That lead grew to seven as the second quarter began with an impressive dunk from KJ Martin and a mid-range jumper from George. However, the Clippers chipped back right going on a 10-2 run thanks to threes from Nicolas Batum and Powell to give them a one-point of their own. Back-and-forth the teams went throughout the second quarter and after trading buckets, the teams went into the half tied at 51.
Los Angeles came out hot at the start of the second half, going on a 13-4 run to open the third quarter with seven points coming from Terrance Mann. Down nine, the 76ers fought right back to stay in it with a 7-0 run of their own thanks to clutch buckets from Oubre Jr. and Caleb Martin.
The third quarter was when Harden came alive, knocking down three shots, one from beyond the arc, and scoring 12 points in the quarter. The Clippers were able to ride Harden’s hot hand and added to their lead scoring 33 points in the quarter to take an 84-68 lead into the fourth.
Before the start of the fourth quarter, Maxey headed to the locker room with right hamstring soreness and missed the remainder of the game. With only 12 minutes of game time left, the Clippers continued to increase their lead over Philadelphia with buckets from Powell and a pair of threes from Amir Coffey. With six minutes left in the game, Powell continued his impressive night with a dagger three to put the Clipper up 22.
The 76ers were unable to mount a comeback in the final minutes of the game, falling to the Clippers 110-98, losing their sixth game of the season.
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Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He now covers the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
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