Sixers beat Hawks, but Paul George’s knee injury overshadows everything

So, what does everyone want to talk about?

The Sixers knocked off the Atlanta Hawks 104-89 in a preseason contest Monday night, but did not come away unscathed. Paul George scored eight points tonight before leaving with what the team called a left knee hyperextension.

Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr. led the Sixers with 14 points each, though neither did it efficiently. Maxey shot 5-of-18 from the field while Oubre went just 4-of-12 from the field and 1-of-8 from three.

Eric Gordon started the game in place of Caleb Martin, though that feels significantly less newsworthy than it did pregame.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First Quarter

• For the third straight game, the Sixers’ offense got off to an abysmal start. They made one shot over the first five minutes of the game and turned it over four times. This start was certainly more understandable — three games in four nights in the preseason in absurd.
• So it happens in other arenas too. There was a slight delay early on thanks to a broken clock above one of the rims. They seemed to get it fixed right when an arena employee set a clock on the floor in the mean time, the poor guy.
• That interruption seemed to do the trick, as the Sixers ripped off a 9-2 run when play resumed. George shot the ball well, primarily on pull-up jumpers, going 3-of-4 in the quarter.

• The first subs off the bench tonight were Caleb Martin, Kyle Lowry and Guerschon Yabusele — not really any surprises there. Martin and Oubre were each able to get a bucket in transition, tying the game up at 23 at the end of one.

Second Quarter

• In a unit with a good blend of starters and backups, the Sixers moved the ball (and off the ball) really well to open the quarter. The first six field goals they made in the second were all assisted
• For the first time this preseason, Yabusele got to play some four as he shared the floor for a minute and a half with Andre Drummond. He is not the quickest rotating over or closing out to the three-point line, perhaps why he hasn’t played there until now. He did have a good shift on offense though, knocking down a three and filling the lane for Lowry who rewarded him with a fast break layup.
• As if the clock breaking in the first quarter wasn’t bad enough, there were two whole challenges in the second. Straight to jail immediately for everyone involved.
• There were some interesting plays in the two-man game between Maxey and Drummond towards the end of the half. Drummond found Maxey for a floater on a give-and-go that looked nice, even if it just rimmed out. This lob was a nice sign as well. It feels like Maxey could continue to get more comfortable throwing lobs this close to the rim. The Sixers led by six at the half.

Third Quarter

• Paul George did not return for the second half, nor was he on the bench. Hopefully it’s nothing more than a “it’s the third game in four nights and still the preseason” type of thing, than anything actually serious.
• Meanwhile on the floor, the Sixers were once again off to a sloppy start; opening the half shooting 3-of-9 from the floor. Maxey seemed to emphasize hoisting up as many threes as he could, but he was just 2-of-9 on the night. Drummond got up two threes tonight as well, though he missed both and was very hesitant to get the second one up.
• Lowry is able to help a lot of guys that struggle to figure out where to be with his passing. He threw a more traditional lob to KJ Martin in transition, but this one he threw here as the Hawks’ defense was getting back was so creative.

• Jared McCain checked in around the four-minute mark. That probably gives us a good sense of who’s in the regular rotation to start things, as he was the first new sub in quite some time. He was short on both of his threes but got a scoop layup to go. The Sixers led by eight after three.

Fourth Quarter

• The end of the bench continued to trickle in as Reggie Jackson and Ricky Council IV checked in for the first time. Council, who hasn’t played his best ball to start the preseason, came into the game and almost immediately ran over Vit Krejci for a charge.
• By this time of the night, the team had announced that Paul George had left the game due to an injury, but there was still basketball going on as well. Yabusele continued to play well offensively, hitting another three and slipping down the lane for a dunk on a roll.

• Adem Bona, Jeff Dowtin Jr. and Justin Edwards were the last Sixers to check in for the night. Edwards had a nice layup and knocked down a three. McCain had some nice bully ball moments on drives, something he’s done well this preseason. Council put a bow on things by knocking down a three from the logo, so it wasn’t all bad tonight!
• The Sixers are back at home for their next preseason game, meaning it will be televised on NBC Sports Philadelphia. They’ll take on the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET.