Sixers Bell Ringer: Sixers win as everyone holds their breath post-Paul George injury

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Atlanta Hawks in a preseason game on Monday that saw Paul George exit early due to a left knee hyperextension.

I’m going to take a wild guess and say anyone actually watching this one became a lot more nauseated and distracted at halftime of this Philadelphia 76ers preseason matchup with the Atlanta Hawks.

After exiting with over eight minutes left in the second, Paul George was subbed out. After not returning for the rest of the frame, the team ruled him out for the second half entirely. It wasn’t until midway through the fourth period that the Sixers confirmed George suffered a left knee hyperextension. That was all the information available at the time of writing, but we at Liberty Ballers will keep you posted with any updates.

In the mean time, we can talk about the game at hand. Other than missing Joel Embiid, who will not play at all during the preseason, Nick Nurse did make one other change tonight in his rotation, moving Caleb Martin out of the starting five and bringing him in off the bench instead.

It was an ugly start. After a sloppy first five minutes filled with turnovers and missed shots from the Sixers, everyone watching was further punished by a game delay caused by a faulty shot clock — not even at Wells Fargo Center this time! Things started to turn around after that break, however, as George and Tyrese Maxey took over and got things back on track.

After taking the lead, things were looking a lot smoother for the Sixers… until 8:16 in Q2 when the aforementioned George situation occurred.

This was a hard one to pay attention to after everyone realized that George was hurt, I’ll admit, but the Sixers ended up defeating the Hawks 104-89. They are off Tuesday night and will return to preseason action on Wednesday night when they host former teammate Ben Simmons and the Brooklyn Nets at Wells Fargo Center.

Until then, let’s quickly talk Bell Ringer while we anxiously wait for more updates on PG.

Tyrese Maxey: 14 points, 7 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals

Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images

Things started to turn around for the Sixers early in this one when Tyrese Maxey seemed to take control of the game. He wasn’t perfect and had some inefficient shooting, but he was vital in turning the Sixers’ offense around when it came out of the gate pretty damn terribly. Maxey ended the first frame involved in 16 of the Sixers’ 23 points, scoring six and assisting 10.

Maxey seems to be in such a groove already, and it keeps getting better with each outing. He just plainly looks ready for not only the regular season, but a regular season that could see him make another jump in play. His midrange jumper looks better than ever, and he’s been aggressive taking advantage of those openings. His three point shooting tonight left a bit to be desired, hitting just 2-of-9, but he still led the Sixers with 14 points and seven assists. He also had two steals tonight.

A nice little side note: at the end of the second frame, we got a fun glimpse at what a Maxey-Andre Drummond two-man game can look like at its best. It’s crucial for Maxey to be able to work in sync with whatever center is on the floor for the Sixers, which fans know might not always be Joel Embiid. Maxey exhibiting this level of sync with Drummond is nice to see.

Paul George: 8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 steal

Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images

(Written in real time watching the game)

It’s so nice to get to watch a wing that has smooth, consistent success scoring in iso opportunities like Paul George does. He helped get the Sixers’ offense back on track early by converting from all over the floor — a triple, a midrange pull-up and a running dunk in the first period.

Oh… and then he got hurt because we can’t have nice things here apparently. George appeared to tweak his left knee making a defensive play at 8:16 Q2. He exited the game at the next stoppage and did not return. The only information at the time of writing this is that George exited the game due to a left knee hyperextension.

In 12:26 played, he had eight points on 3-for-5 field goal shooting with two rebounds, an assist and a steal.

Sigh…

Andre Drummond: 5 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks

Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images

Drummond isn’t doing anything head turning, but he’s doing exactly what the Sixers brought him here to do. Grab rebounds and be a solid defensive presence under the rim. It’s that simple, and that’s exactly what he continues to do. Drummond pulled in 11 rebounds on Monday as well as put up three blocks and had two steals. He also had five points.

He also did take another two three-point attempts… but neither hit tonight. I’m not sure how much of the long range game we’ll see once we hit the regular season, but it’s still fun to watch him try while the games don’t count.

Guerschon Yabusele: 10 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block

Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images

Yabusele continues to impress in his Sixers’ preseason run. Nurse had him take on multiple roles Monday night, starting out as a small-ball five to come off the bench to replace Drummond. He moved over to the four late in the second period when he was on the floor alongside Drummond.

Something that has been sticking out for me (and continued tonight) is Yabusele’s willingness to shoot triples and the rate that he’s sinking them. He was 2-for-4 from long range against the Hawks, bringing his preseason totals to 6-for-12 across four contests (according to RealGM). Yabusele being a threat from beyond the arc is huge, both for tacking on some quick points for the Sixers but more so for spreading the floor when he’s out there.

He has also looked extremely solid on the glass, which is always a welcome sight to a Sixers team.

Yabusele scored 10 points tonight (4-for-6 field goal shooting) with 11 rebounds, three assists and a block.

KJ Martin: 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Martin continues to progress in doing things that he did well last season even better this time around. This preseason, Martin continues to bring a high level of energy and seems to be constantly moving and cutting to find open space off the ball—a breath of fresh air for those of us that have watched a stale Sixers offense stand completely still off the ball time and time again in seasons past. He has looked solid and competent on the defensive end as well.

He finished Monday with 11 points on 5-for-6 field goal shooting with three rebounds, two assists and a steal.