Nick Nurse addresses the 76ers’ injury scare following their win over the Hawks

The Philadelphia 76ers picked up their second win of the 2024 NBA preseason on Monday night against the Atlanta Hawks. Most people now only think of a sequence from the second quarter.

As the Sixers worked to extend their lead midway through the second quarter, they watched as their nine-time All-Star forward struggled with a possible knee injury.

George went back to the locker room before halftime and didn’t return for the second half. When the Sixers finished Monday night’s match, the team officially ruled out George. He was reportedly struggling with left knee hyperextension.

After the game, Nick Nurse addressed the setback and acknowledged the unfortunate timing.

“I definitely try to work him into things, and he wants to work his way into things,” the head coach told reporters, according to Gina Mizell of The Inquirer. “That doesn’t give him a chance. Hopefully everything will be okay and he will be back with us straight away.”

After the game, the Sixers do not have a schedule for George. The matchup against the Brooklyn Nets takes place on Wednesday. Depending on further testing, it’s safe to say George’s availability for this game is uncertain.

The Sixers played without George twice this preseason. They also played their first four preseason games without All-Star center Joel Embiid.

After a busy summer, Embiid is on a management schedule, having undergone knee surgery less than a year ago. As of Sunday, the Sixers have ruled Embiid out for the entire preseason.

George missed two games last week. For the first game against the New Zealand Breakers, George was given a night’s rest. The situation was the same on Saturday when the Sixers played the Boston Celtics in a back-to-back game following George’s preseason debut with the team.

Because he’s new to the system and such a pivotal point to Philly’s game plan, George’s preseason run was beneficial. Unfortunately, he’s at risk of missing some time depending on how he feels moving forward.