Philadelphia 76ers fans collectively held their breaths when Paul George hyperextended his knee during their 104-89 preseason win against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.
George’s left leg bent awkwardly as he tried to run back on offense after a defensive stop on Jalen Johnson during the second period. The nine-time NBA All-Star was ruled out after that and finished the game with eight points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal on 3-of-5 shooting from the field in 12 minutes.
The Philadelphia 76ers turned to Caleb Martin to take his spot in the lineup, and the former Miami Heat man posted seven points, four rebounds, two assists, and one block on 3-for-7 shooting from the field in 20 minutes of action.
According to Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Paul George is “not too concerned” about the prognosis of his knee. However, we wouldn’t be surprised if George will not play in any of the Philadelphia 76ers’ two remaining preseason games because of his injury history.
Philadelphia 76ers’ Nick Nurse speaks up on Paul George’s hyperextended knee
Like Paul George, Nick Nurse was not too concerned with the injury but added that he hopes to have him back at 100 percent fitness as soon as possible.
“Just hyperextended knee,” Nurse told reporters after the win. “We’ll check him out in the morning. That’s all we got.”
“Certainly trying to work him into things, and he wants to work into things too. This doesn’t give him a chance to do that. Hopefully, it’ll be OK so he’s back with us right away,” he continued.
The Philadelphia 76ers will round out their preseason schedule with two more games against the Brooklyn Nets and the Orlando Magic.