Sixers looking for second win of season in Los Angeles vs. Clippers

We made it! At least for a while, we can watch sporting events again without being subjected to an onslaught of political ads. Now the only depressing thing we’re forced to watch is Sixers basketball (ba-dum-tss). Which, to be fair, looked a lot better in Paul George’s team debut Monday night in Phoenix. Philadelphia squandered a late lead and lost by two to the Suns to fall to 1-5 on the season, but things unsurprisingly looked a lot more cohesive with a six-time All-NBA player in the mix.

George showed some rust by shooting just 4-of-14 from the field on Monday, but you can bet he’ll be highly motivated to improve on that performance tonight in Los Angeles. As you may recall, PG left his home in LA because the Clippers were chasing him in contract negotiations. They started by offering him just two years, $60 million, then worked up to three years, $150 million, close to what Kawhi Leonard signed, but wouldn’t give George the no-trade clause he wanted if he would take the below a max deal. Tonight will be his attempt to single-handedly show Steve Ballmer and company that they made a big mistake as he is currently listed as probable.

Paul will not be joined by his new star teammate, Joel Embiid, who will begin serving his three-game suspension tonight. The currently 3-4 Clippers will be without their own load management king as Kawhi Leonard remains out with persistent inflammation in his surgically repaired knee. Some more familiar faces are also out for Los Angeles: Mo Bamba is out with a knee injury, and PJ Tucker is out of the lineup until he comes to the realization that no one wants to trade for his $11 million contract.

Speaking of which, including Tucker as part of the James Harden trade was masterful work by Daryl Morey. The system carries a heavy load as the lone member of LA’s Big 3 from last year playing right now, averaging 21.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 9.9 assists. But he’s also shooting just 38.1 percent from the field, including 29.5 percent from three, and is averaging 5.0 turnovers. We’ll have to see more of a Paul George-era game to say for sure, but trading Harden and Tucker for expiring contracts (who were also helpful players) and freeing up enough cap space for a max free agent, couldn’t have gone better from the Sixers’ perspective.

Tonight will be our first up close and personal look at The Wall in the newly constructed Intuit Dome. It sure looks like a cool fan experience, and it’s nice to have something that sets the new arena for the Clippers apart from other places. I’ve always liked the aspect of baseball where each park has its own little quirks.

It’s the second of three games out west for the Sixers. We’ll see if they can snap a three-game losing streak and grab the elusive second win of the season.

Game details

WHO: Philadelphia 76ers at Los Angeles Clippers
When: 10 p.m. ET
Where: Intuit Dome, Los Angeles, CA
Clock: NBC Sports Philadelphia, ESPN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers