Getty Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George to a play during a 2021 game.
The Philadelphia 76ers locked down another big win to tip-off the weekend, outlasting the Los Angeles Clippers despite the fact that Paul George went off for 37 points.
Sure, LA’s other team was without Kawhi Leonard, who missed his fourth consecutive game with a sore right foot. And the Clippers did knock down 19 three-point shots on nearly 50 percent from deep. Still, it was another in a long line of strong defensive efforts from the Sixers; George’s outburst notwithstanding.
For the year, the Clippers find themselves in a virtual tie with the Brooklyn Nets for the most potent offense in the Association with an O-rating of 117.3. Against a Philly front led by two Defensive Player of the Year candidates in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, they managed just 103 points. The Clippers also committed 19 turnovers in the contest.
After the game, though, George seemed to allude that the Sixers aren’t fully responsible for their lockdown efforts.
As he sees it, they’re getting some help from a group of whistle-wielding renegades.
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PG-13 Thinks the Sixers Are Allowed to Get Away With Murder on the Court
While speaking to members of the media in the wake of his team’s loss, George was asked what it was like to face Philly’s vaunted front for the first time this season. Instead of throwing any sort of praise in his opponents’ direction, he quickly made his true feelings known.
“They got away with a lot of stuff,” he declared. “I won’t even get into that — you all know what’s going on. Next question.”
A few moments later, George did throw the Sixers a bone while expounding on his assessment of what is transpiring. However, he maintained that all is not well with how officials are responding to their physical brand of defense.
“They were just allowed to play hands-on — they were allowed to reach,” he said. “It wasn’t clean. Give them credit for the pressure and their defensive rotations and stuff like that, but a lot of it wasn’t clean. There were some turnovers on our behalf where we were shooting ourselves in the foot.”
George also took some of the blame for the game’s result, but reiterated that, in his eyes, Philly only deserves partial credit for the end result.
“Some of those turnovers I’ll take ownership of because I could’ve made better plays, but I can’t fully give them all of the acknowledgment on that because some of it wasn’t clean.”
Sixers Dodging Steph Again?
Next up for the Sixers will be their second game against the Golden State Warriors. When last the two teams met, Philly may have dodged a bullet as Stephen Curry was unable to go for the Dubs. His brother, Sixers guard Seth Curry, also missed the contest, eliminating the opportunity for a fun matchup.
On the bright side, the Sixers were able to beat Golden State by double-digits.
Unfortunately, fans may be robbed of a Curry vs. Curry bout once again when the clubs take the hardwood again on Monday.
Seth is currently battling a hip flexor, while Steph rolled his ankle late in his team’s Saturday affair with the Boston Celtics. Both players’ status for the Sixers-Warriors rematch is uncertain.
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