The struggling Philadelphia 76ers will be without Tyrese Maxey for multiple weeks after the All-Star point guard sustained a right hamstring injury in Wednesday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Maxey left prior to the fourth quarter Wednesday before Philadelphia fell to 1-6 on the season with a 110-98 loss in Los Angeles.
Maxey entered Wednesday with averages of 30.2 points and 4.3 assists in Philadelphia's first six games.
Selected 21st overall by the 76ers in the 2020 NBA Draft, Maxey was the 2023-24 NBA Most Improved Player and a first-time All-Star last season, when he averaged career highs of 25.9 points, 6.2 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 70 games.
Philadelphia is also without former NBA MVP Joel Embiid, who has yet to play this season due to left knee management and a three-game, league-imposed suspension for shoving a member of the media that will need to be served once healthy.
Paul George, though, did make his 76ers debut Monday after Philadelphia signed the nine-time All-Star in the offseason.
George sat out the team’s first five games after injuring his knee during the preseason.
Paul George was treated to a mixed reaction on his return to Los Angeles, receiving a video tribute before boos from the crowd as the Philadelphia 76ers lost.
The Los Angeles Clippers came out on top in a 110-98 victory on Wednesday to compound the Sixers' tough start to the NBA season.
Despite suffering defeat at the Inuit Dome, George impressed, scoring 18 points, making seven of nine shots, and also got seven rebounds and three steals.
George spent five years with the Clippers before signing for the Sixers as a free agent in the close season, signing a four-year $212million max contract, having previously stated he wanted to stay in LA, who declined the contract he wanted.
However, after he left for Philadelphia, he irked some of the Clippers' fans with comments made on his podcast where he described returning to his hometown of Los Angeles like being on the "B team" because rival Lakers fans suggested he should have signed for them instead.
While he appreciated the video tribute from the Clippers, he admitted to being surprised by the fans' reaction, especially after helping the franchise reach their only Western Conference finals in 2021.
"It is stupid," George said. "I mean, I was a free agent, you know what I mean? It wasn't something that I demanded a trade or went against the team here.
"I was a free agent. The team presented something that was team-friendly, and I did what was best for me in that situation.
"So, there were the cheers. I appreciate them. Those were the ones that I played hard for. The boos I didn't get it. I still don't get it when I go [back] to Indy, but it is what it is. It's sports. I look forward to next year being back here and more boos."
Despite improving to a 7-1 record by beating the Boston Celtics, Steph Curry insists the Golden State Warriors "haven't done anything yet".
Curry impressed in the Warriors' 118-112 victory over the reigning NBA champions, as he finished with 27 points, seven rebounds, nine assists and four steals.
He played 34 minutes after missing a week with a sprained ankle, and moved to 30th on the NBA's all-time scoring list, passing Charles Barkley when he scored the 23,747th point of his career in the third quarter.
The win moved the Warriors joint-top of the Western Conference, but despite what looks to be a statement win, Curry was not getting ahead of himself.
"We haven't done anything yet," Curry said.
"A good team, or a relevant team, wins the games they are supposed to win, you steal a couple on the road against good teams, you protect your home court. We've done those things so far, but we got two more games on this road trip, two tough tests.
"So, I like where we're at, obviously. But [there's a] long way to go.
"Until proven otherwise, that's how we have to play [splitting up the contributors]. And we've talked about it.
"Coach has talked about it until he's blue in the face already. Every practice, every film session, every pregame, it's the same message. So, it is who we are right now. It's who we have to be."
The Celtics had taken the lead in the first quarter after a strong start, but they struggled to cope as the Warriors' constant rotation among defenders wreaked havoc on the hosts' offense.
Boston committed 12 turnovers as they failed to find their rhythm for most of the game, though coach Joe Mazzulla was fairly pleased with how his team adapted.
"They're physical, so they force you to fight for your space," Mazzulla said. "They have active hands, so I think in the first half, they got a ton of deflections.
"They were able to get some stuff there, but I thought we did a better job of handling the physicality in the second half and just have to put - again, we talk physicality, it's just as much about defense as offense.
"So, it took us a little while to get adjusted to that. Once we did, we executed really well. And then it just came down to a couple possessions at the end."
The Celtics sit second in the Eastern Conference behind the Cleveland Cavaliers, who hold a perfect record so far.
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