Paul George gets rude awakening in LA return as Clippers defeat 76ers

Paul George got the basketball on the wing, and the same Clippers fans who cheered and adored him for the five years he was one of their own … booed him.

Cheers from the sparse crowd at the Intuit Dome rained down on George the entire game because he was now a Philadelphia 76er. The fans even booed George when the Clippers showed a tribute video on the Halo Board of his highlights while in LA during a first quarter timeout.

George had rejected the Clippers’ final offer of three years and $150 million and instead took a four-year deal from the 76ers for $212 million. George had wanted a no-trade clause as part of his deal with the Clippers, but they were unwilling to do so.

He was back in town for the first time Wednesday night since leaving, and fans told him how they felt about him leaving a team they had hoped he (and Kawhi Leonard) would help lead to an NBA title.

Before the game, George shook hands with his former teammates who sat on the bench and hugged coach Tyronn Lue. Then he was manhandled by his former team in the Clippers’ 110-98 win over the 76ers.

George, who had 18 points and seven rebounds, explained why things didn’t work out between him and the Clippers.

“I think people don’t realize that business is business,” George told reporters at a shootaround Wednesday morning. “They made a business decision that works for the organization, and that’s fine. I made a business decision that worked for myself and my family. And so, you know, there’s again, there’s no love lost. I still appreciate and love those guys. But it’s… It’s part of the business. I take no ill will.”

It was George’s second game of the season after missing the first five games with a left knee injury. His old running mate, Kawhi Leonard, missed his eighth straight game with right knee inflammation.

But the two of them had made the Clippers relevant in NBA circles, the highlight coming when George led them to the Western Conference Finals in 2021, the first time in franchise history they reached that level.

“Everything in between the time together was great,” Lue said. “Be with him for what, five years? I think it was great when you have a two-way player like PG who does it on both ends. He made some big chances for us, helped us go further than we ever been to the conference finals as an organization, so we had some great years together.”

It was the Clippers’ first double-digit win of the season and their second straight at home.

And again they were led by Norman Powellwho had 26 points on eight-for-10 shooting and six-for-eight on three-pointers. It was his seventh game in a row in which he scored 20 plus points.