Observations after red-hot George pours in 39 points, Sixers blow out Wizards originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
WASHINGTON — Paul George exploded for his most points as a Sixer on Wednesday night and at times looked like he couldn’t miss.
George delivered a brilliant performance in the Sixers’ 153-131 win over the lowly Wizards at Capital One Arena. He posted 39 points on 15-for-22 shooting, six assists, zero turnovers, five rebounds and three steals in 30 minutes.
Tyrese Maxey had 28 points and nine assists for the Sixers, who improved to 42-34. Washington dropped to 17-59.
VJ Edgecombe added 23 points on 10-for-15 shooting and 10 assists.
Joel Embiid was the only unavailable Sixers regular. He was sidelined by an illness.
The Sixers will host the Timberwolves on Friday night. Here are observations on their victory in D.C.:
George attacks off the bat
George continued to look quite sharp both in the flow of the Sixers’ half-court offense and in transition. He hit two mid-range jumpers for the team’s first four points and also made a strong driving layup in the early going.
When he saw Wizards center Tristan Vukcevic switched on him, George blew past to the rim, drew two free throws and knocked them down. He sunk a step-back three-pointer over Vukcevic in the first quarter, too.
George’s directness has been a major positive in the four games since he came back from his 25-game suspension. More often than not, he’s read the game well, recognized where his advantage lies and gone right to work. The best answer’s frequently been simple for George — a catch-and-shoot three; a comfortable pull-up jumper; a no-nonsense downhill drive.
It’s notable that Wednesday’s performance came against the team with the Eastern Conference’s worst defensive rating, but the Sixers have to be very pleased with how George has played post-suspension. He had 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting, two rebounds, two assists and two steals in the first quarter.
Defense far from its best
Adem Bona started in Embiid’s place. His and-one layup gave the Sixers an 18-8 lead.
On the other end, Vukcevic had a hot start. He reached 15 points when he drilled a three over Andre Drummond with 9:36 left in the second quarter, although he picked up his third foul shortly after and had to sub out.
Washington’s second unit outplayed the Sixers’ early in the second quarter. Jaden Hardy leaked free for an easy fast-break dunk to put the Wizards up 45-42. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse called timeout and brought George and Maxey back in.
The Sixers’ defense did not offer a great degree of resistance in the first half. When the Sixers briefly moved to a zone, Bub Carrington drained a three. A Justin Champagnie second-chance basket inside extended the Wizards’ lead to 10 points.
Maxey’s crafty, speedy driving helped the Sixers stay close and eventually find some momentum despite their defensive problems. He shot 8 for 11 inside the arc in the first half and just 0 for 1 from three-point range. The Sixers entered halftime with a 73-71 lead thanks to a George triple with 2.9 seconds to go in the second quarter.
So close to 40
George didn’t turn cold at halftime.
He added two more three-pointers and a driving lay-in early in the third quarter. By that stage, George had already notched his sixth game as a Sixer with at least 30 points.
A Maxey three bumped the Sixers’ lead up to double digits. The game soon entered blowout territory and the main lingering question was just how many points George would score.
The nine-time All-Star exited one point shy of 40 at the 3:38 mark of the third quarter. The Wizards never threatened a comeback, but Nurse subbed George in for a final stint with 6:55 to go in the fourth.
George didn’t force the issue. He missed an open three and a contested runner, and Nurse ultimately pulled the plug with a little under three minutes left. George couldn’t crack 40 for the first time since the 2023-24 season, but he obviously still gave the Sixers a tremendous outing Wednesday night.
