Paul George relished the chance of being back on the court with the Philadelphia 76ers as he marked his season debut with a win against the Los Angeles Clippers.  

George, who had surgery on his left knee in July, finished with nine points and seven rebounds in a 110-108 triumph against his former team on Monday. 

Philadelphia were led by Tyrese Maxey's 39 points, while Quentin Grimes added 19 of his own, with Andre Drummond chipping in with 14 points and 18 rebounds. 

George started all four quarters but was withdrawn in each after five-minute stints, sitting out the final eight minutes as the 76ers overcame a 13-point deficit to win. 

"It felt great," said George, who shot 2-for-9 from the field. "It felt great to finally play basketball again. It was like eight months since I played, so it was a long journey.

"A lot of ups and downs, a lot of hiccups, but it felt good to finally get out there, and I felt good. Rusty, but I felt good."

It was the 35-year-old's first taste of action since March 4 in what has been a stop-start beginning to life at Philadelphia following his move from the Indiana Pacers. 

In his debut season with the 76ers, George averaged 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, but made an instant impact upon his return. 

"It felt great, man," George said with a smile about making his first shot from the floor. "I watched it and there were so many emotions inside.

"There were zero emotions outside, honestly. I was just trying to focus on just the game, staying locked in and engaged, but it felt great to make the first shot."

PG for threee pic.twitter.com/Qap3rbzYsL

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 18, 2025

Philadelphia were still without Joel Embiid, who sat out for the third straight game and eighth of 13 in 2025-26 due to soreness in his right knee. 

But 76ers coach Nick Nurse believes the seven-time NBA All-Star is nearing a return, with the Toronto Raptors up next for Philadelphia.

"[He's] just not quite pain-free," Nurse said of Embiid's return. "I think it's getting better. I don't think he's far away from playing."

Philadelphia's victory overshadowed former 76ers star James Harden's milestone game upon his return to his former stomping ground. 

Harden became the 11th player in NBA history to reach 28,000 career points with a first-quarter layup. 

He finished with 28 points on 7-of-25 shooting from the field and 2-of-12 from three-point range, though he made all 12 of his free throws.

The 36-year-old added six rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and four turnovers in 37 minutes, but missed two three-point attempts which saw the 76ers escape with the win.

"I thought I got fouled," Harden said of his first 3-point attempt during the frantic finish. "But then I had another opportunity, too.

"They went into a box and one, [76ers coach Nurse] kind of switched it up a little bit, so it kind of threw us off and kind of took my aggressiveness away a little bit.

"But I thought I had a good opportunity at it."