Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, Sixers lose to shorthanded Grizzlies, Paul George re-injures left knee

The debut of the Big 3 lasted about five minutes, because of course it did.

Tyrese Maxey returned to the lineup after suffering a hamstring strain on Nov. 6, but Paul George left the game in the third quarter of the Sixers’ 117-111 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies as this Murphy’s Law-ass season rolls on.

After being torn down again in the second half, they went on a last-minute run to cut the lead to four with 54 seconds left, but it again ended up being too little too late.

Joel Embiid looked like Joel Embiid again. He led all scorers with 35 points, going 10 of 21 from the field and 14 of 14 from the line. He had 11 rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.

Maxey looked rusty, finishing with eight points on 3-of-13 shooting in 19 minutes of play. George had just two points on 1-of-6 shooting before leaving.

The Grizzlies were without six players and were on the second half of a back-to-back.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First quarter

• Maxey looked pretty good from the jump and got the Sixers on the board with a runner. He moved well and didn’t seem to flinch. He couldn’t get any of his catch-and-shoot threes to fall, which just might be a staple of this team. He played the first five and a half minutes before being relieved by Reggie Jackson.
• Embiid looked pretty much the same to start this season. Brandon Clarke pushed him all the way to the three-point line on one of his first touches, which ended with Embiid just throwing the ball toward the basket for a shot clock violation. He knocked down a couple of jumpers as he settled in and was able to get four shots at the line, ending the quarter with 10 points.

• McCain once again looked really good from the jump, with an early dunk that took advantage of a relaxed defense. He got on the board from deep later to lead a bench lineup. A Desmond Bane three with three seconds left tied the quarter at 31.

Second Quarter

• Familiar problems to start the quarter helped Memphis go on a 12-2 run. George, who took a back seat in the first, couldn’t buy a bucket to start. He got a pair of midrange jumpers going halfway down and out before getting on the board with a layup that he likely carried over. Everything that could possibly go wrong has so far, but George is definitely headed for a shooting regression soon, even if his shot selection could still be better.
• Embiid looked more confident when he checked back in, and it started with him just pushing the ball on fast breaks off rebounds. He also made good things happen by attacking Clarke as it got Guerschon Yabusele open to grab the offensive rebound and find Ricky Council IV for a dunk.

• While there were some positives offensively, they are definitely still figuring things out on both ends of the floor. Like their first meeting in Philly, they did a poor job of tracking down shooters and Memphis shot 50% from three in the half. Somehow, the Sixers were only down 10 at the half despite shooting 22% from deep themselves. Maxey didn’t check back in the first half after the first five minutes.

Third Quarter

• Well, Maxey was back out there to start the second half. The half started with George limping up after grabbing a rebound on the very first shot. He left the game and went back to the locker room. He was ruled out in the fourth quarter with a left knee hyperextension. You just have to laugh at this point, right?
• Neither team scored in the first few minutes of the half, giving the Sixers time to get their bearings. In for George, Yabusele hit a couple of threes to start. He was the only Sixer to make more than a three to that point.

• Despite Caleb Martin blocking what felt like every shot he could, the Sixers still couldn’t get a run together. While Yabu started the quarter 3-of-3, the rest of the team started 1-of-7. After hitting the first runner, Maxey fell to 1-of-8 from the field.
• It was still a struggle to get stops, but the end of the quarter was easily the best Embiid has looked all season. After a few trips to the line, he got into a groove in the middle, giving this team some of their first easy offense of the season. There was even a sight of Embiid trying to do too much for the first time this year, giving the Grizzlies two free throws fighting for a rebound that was already lost. The Sixers ended the third trailing by nine.

Fourth Quarter

• Andre Drummond had a solid first half with eight points, but he’s still struggling to string two good shifts together. Memphis went right at him, whether it was at the rim or pulling him out to the perimeter, and they had pushed their lead up to 17 by the team that Embiid checked back in.
• Even with how bad it is right now, it’s still frustrating to see white flag raised lineups around Embiid in the fourth. McCain checked out less than two minutes before Embiid returned to the game. It makes sense why they were cautious with Maxey tonight, but at least give Embiid and McCain reps together. McCain checked back in a few minutes later, but it still feels weird so far.
• As it would happen, the Sixers had a bit of a comeback after McCain checked back in. A trip to the line and a three-ball extended his streak of 20 or more points. A transition dunk from Kelly Oubre Jr. and suddenly it was a six-point game. They cut it to four, but Embiid sent a pass to a cutting Oubre with the nail in the coffin. If this sense of urgency had appeared two minutes earlier, they might have been able to pull it off, but instead they are 2-12.

• Remember when the biggest problem at Nets games was booing a guy in a Louis Vuitton hockey sweater? The Sixers are back at home for their next game against Brooklyn on Friday. It will be their third game in NBA Cup action at 7:00 PM ET.