Paul George just can’t catch a break. 16 days! That’s how long it has been since he made his Sixers debut after missing five straight games to start the season. The reason? A knee hyperextension he suffered during the preseason. And just when he was starting to find his groove in the new environment, another setback has halted his momentum as he suffered an unfortunate injury during tonight’s Grizzlies game.

Well, the incident occurred in the opening minutes of the second half as George was tussling for a rebound after Desmond Bane’s missed shot attempt. Yes, he was able to grab the board, but he landed awkwardly after the jump and seemingly rolled his ankle. As the play continued, PG was in visible agony and immediately pointed to the bench asking to be subbed out. Seeing the superstar struggle, the Sixers were forced to call a timeout and George headed straight to the locker room to assess the injury.

Veteran insider Shams Charania later reported that PG did not roll his ankle but hyperextended his knee on the play. Moreover, it was the same knee that delayed his season debut. As expected, he was done for the night following the incident.

Obviously, this is a devastating blow for him because he was struggling even before he got injured. Yes, he left the game with only two points on an abysmal one of six shooting from the field. And PG has not played up to his standard so far as he is averaging only 16.7 points this season. Even his three-point shooting has taken a hit as his efficiency has dropped to 28.8%. And this injury only adds to his concerns.

Sixers’ misery continues as Nick Nurse gives crucial Paul George update

After Paul left the game, the Sixers could not bounce back from that blow. Well, this was supposed to be a big night for them as it was their Big Three’s debut game together. But it ended in tragedy as they got dominated by a Ja Morant-less Grizzlies. Moreover, this was also Tyrese Maxey’s first game back after a six-game hiatus due to a strained hamstring. And he looked a bit rusty, finishing with only eight points.

After tonight’s game, the Sixers are now on a five-game losing streak. Moreover, the situation could get worse as Nick Nurse provided update on PG’s injury, “It was a hyperextension… I think they said it was similar to last time, which was a bone bruise I think. They actually did work in there. You never know what happens. He was actually fairly close to coming back in the game, but then it kind of stiffened up as he got out a little bit more. He decided not to and now got to take a look at it and make sure.” So, there is a high chance that George will miss a few upcoming games to recover. And that could hurt the Sixers even more as they hope to bounce back from their 2-12 record.