Sixers’ Paul George takes responsibility for late mistakes in loss at Kings, but breaks loose

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Before he left the Golden1 Center visitors’ locker room late Wednesday, Paul George was already eager to watch the final five minutes of the 76ers’ shocking 113-107 loss to the Kings.

The perennial All-Star wing took responsibility for his individual mistakes during his team’s fourth-quarter meltdown, committing three turnovers and going scoreless on a shot attempt as the Kings closed the game on a 15-0 run. Still, George also criticized the referee after he picked up his fourth and fifth fouls in quick succession with less than five minutes remaining, then fouled out in the final seconds.

“The people guarding me are given free will to, like, do anything: foul, scratch, hold, grab,” George said. “And then I get, like, cheap calls. And even when I play through the foul, (the refs) let (the defender) foul first, and then when I try to be aggressive back, they call it offensive.

“So it’s frustrating, but that’s been my career. I’ve got to get better. I’ve just got to get better and I understand that.”

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George — who scored 30 points through three quarters and finished with eight rebounds and five assists — wasn’t the only Sixer to falter during their crunch-time collapse.

All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey acknowledged the Kings’ constant trapping “confused me a little bit,” leading to overall offensive stagnation and a late live-ball turnover that DeMar DeRozan turned into the game-tying transition. Guerschon Yabusele made a rare go-ahead field goal that gave Sacramento a 109-107 lead with 33.8 seconds left. Eric Gordon, playing down the stretch because of his earlier boost off the bench, missed an open three-pointer off an offensive rebound with less than two minutes remaining. Kyle Lowry’s turnover in the waning seconds prevented the Sixers from getting one last desperation shot attempt.

“We couldn’t score,” Maxey said. “They took us out of the things we wanted to accomplish. Most of that is my fault, so I’ve got to do a better job of closing that game out.”

George also shared the blame, saying he sometimes lacked shot-clock awareness — his team had a foul with two minutes left, setting up a Keon Ellis three-pointer — and should have attacked with the ball earlier in possessions. Instead, the Kings’ defense could set up those double teams and “kind of (shrink) the floor,” George said.

Still, George and Sixers coach Nick Nurse also expressed disappointment with the way George was judged throughout the game. Nurse noted that George took 20 shots, including several on drives to the basket, but only attempted four free throws (as a team, the Kings had a 24-14 advantage in foul shots attempted). George picked up two fouls during the first quarter, disrupting a blistering 14-point outburst in the opening frame.

Wednesday’s whistle also came after George picked up five fouls in the Sixers’ previous two wins at the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz, throwing off Nurse’s rotations. George spent at least one timeout Wednesday asking for an explanation from the officials — or “to put them on notice” when “I know they can see that (the opponent) is committing offense and they’re going to let them get away with some thing.”

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“I understand it’s a tough job they have,” George added. “But my problem is ticky-tack calls on me, and then they allow (the opponent) to play (with) more contact on me than in the contact I dish out. It is unacceptable.”

Added nurse: “All (George’s mistakes) were so sensitive.”

The Sixers’ first possession initially appeared to illustrate how the night was shaping up for George, as Maxey jumped the scorer’s board to save a loose ball that eventually found George for an open three-pointer. He maintained his aggressiveness early, grabbing driving lanes, mid-range opportunities and open deep shots. He acknowledged that a second-quarter back injury — the result of successfully preventing his head from hitting the field when he fell on an inside completion — caused some physical limitations in the second half and was “a little sore” after the game.

However, George believes his downhill mentality can apply even when playing alongside former NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid, who sat out Wednesday’s game to rest his foot, face and knee. Their partnership on the court remains a work-in-progress as the usually efficient (and crafty) George entered Wednesday shooting 40.5% from the floor and averaging 15.5 points over 20 games. Those numbers are on pace to be among his worst in those statistical categories during his 16-year NBA career.

“I attack early before the defense is set, especially when big guys are out there,” George said of playing with Embiid, “there’s going to be a lot of opportunities to attack and hit quickly. So I think it was one of ​​the takeaways I saw and tried to capitalize on tonight.”

The next chance to put it into practice could come as early as Thursday at the Golden State Warriors, where Embiid is expected to return for the second night of a back-to-back to end this four-game Western Conference swing.

But before that, George was eager to watch the final five minutes of Wednesday’s fourth-quarter meltdown.

“I want to feel better down,” he said. “… and help, especially Tyrese, kind of put this game away and finish.”