Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) looks to drive around Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley (10) during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
DES MOINES, Iowa — Paul George’s scoring touch was on display in his NBA preseason debut with the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.
George made 8 of 15 shots and scored a team-high 23 points in a 121-111 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
George logged 26 minutes, hit four 3-pointers and added six rebounds and two assists.
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His exhibition debut continued a stretch of new faces in new places during this preseason, along with the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns in New York, Chris Paul in San Antonio, DeMar DeRozan in Sacramento and Klay Thompson in Dallas.
The 76ers — who signed George to a four-year, $212 million contract as a free agent this summer — are his fourth team, after seven years with Indiana, two with Oklahoma City and the last five as part of the Los Angeles Clippers. He’s a nine-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA selection and has averaged 20.8 points over his first 14 NBA seasons.
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The game in Iowa was a homecoming for 76ers coach Nick Nurse. He’s an Iowa native, coached Minnesota’s G League team when it was Iowa, and is the previous head coach at NAIA member Grand View University — located in Des Moines. Nurse was the youngest college coach in the country when he took that job at 23.