Sixers gain Tyrese Maxey, lose Paul George in loss at Grizzlies, dropping them to a 2-12 start

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It was finally the debut of the 76ers’ All-Star trio.

And then it wasn’t.

Tyrese Maxey returned from a six-game absence with a hamstring injury Wednesday night, but Paul George left early in the second half with left knee hyperextension in a 117-111 loss to the Grizzlies Wednesday night at FedEx Forum to drop the Sixers to a continuously disastrous 2-12 start to the season.

It is the same knee that George hyperextended during an Oct. 14 preseason game at the Atlanta Hawks, which was then officially diagnosed as a knee bone bruise and caused him to miss the first five games of the season. On Wednesday, Memphis’ Desmond Bane inadvertently landed on George’s foot while both went for a rebound, before George attempted to step and immediately crouched under the basket. After testing his legs, he then walked under his own power to the locker room.

Before that, George had continued to struggle with his shot, going 1 of 6 from the floor for two points along with four rebounds and two assists. The 34-year-old George signed a four-year max contract this summer as the Sixers’ splashy free-agency addition, but he has been injury prone in recent seasons.

Joel Embiid, meanwhile, put together his most productive game of the season, finishing with 35 points (10 of 21 from the floor, 14 of 14 from the free-throw line) and 11 rebounds. Maxey added eight points but was 3 of 13 from the floor while limited to 20 minutes.

Still, the Sixers made what looked to be headed toward a blowout interesting down the stretch. They sliced 19-point Grizzlies advantage to 115-111 on an Embiid falling finish with less than a minute to play, but Embiid tossed the ball out of bounds on the Sixers’ next possession and Jaren Jackson Jr. then made two free throws.

The Sixers’ fifth consecutive loss came against a Grizzlies team playing without star guard Ja Morant and former defensive player of the year Marcus Smart, and on the second night of a back-to-back and its third game in four nights.

The Grizzlies had initially built a 63-53 halftime advantage, thanks to a giant 3-point discrepancy. Memphis shot 13 of 26 from deep before the break, while the Sixers went 4 of 19.

Rookie Jared McCain added 20 points in a game-high 40 minutes for the Sixers, and took on significant ballhandling duties with Maxey’s minutes limited and veteran backup Kyle Lowry out with a hip injury. Guerschon Yabusele was also a spark off the bench, scoring 17 points and making 5 of 6 attempts from beyond the arc.

The Sixers next face a three-game homestand on Friday against the Brooklyn Nets, Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers and next Wednesday against the Houston Rockets.