INGLEWOOD — The Clippers’ game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night was going to be a reunion of two players once bonded by an area code, but now separated by 2,741 miles.
Kawhi Leonard vs. Paul George – All-Stars who played five seasons together in Los Angeles but now wear opposing jerseys.
But fans hoping to witness the former teammates go face-to-face on the court will have to settle for perhaps a pregame bro hug or handshake between the two. That’s as much contact as the two will share because while George will be on the court for the 76ers at tipoff, Leonard will be on the bench dealing with his troublesome right knee.
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said Monday that Leonard will not play this week, and his return date remains unknown. The team is keeping his status quiet, with Lue only saying that he is making progress.
Meanwhile, George, who signed a four-year, $212 million contract with the Sixers this summer, made his season debut on Monday in a close loss to the Phoenix Suns. He missed his new team’s first five games after suffering a bone bruise on his left knee in a preseason contest.
Although rusty, George, one of the most skilled players in the league, made the Sixers (1-5) better overall with spacing, gave them more size on the perimeter and freed up Tyrese Maxey to score without worrying about the rest of the offense.
“My condition was better than expected. I was tired. There were moments where I was gassed, but, you know, I wanted to kind of play through that to deal with the endurance,” George, who scored 15 points on 4-of-14 shooting in 32 minutes, told reporters afterward.
No matter what jersey he is wearing now, Clippers center Ivica Zubac said it will be good to see George, who was first paired with Leonard in the summer of 2019 in an effort to bring a championship to L.A.
“It’s going to be great,” Zubac said. “He was a great teammate, a great friend, and it’s going to be fun playing against him. It’s going to be exciting.”
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James Harden, who came to the Clippers early last season in a trade from Philadelphia, wasn’t as moved at the prospect of facing George on Wednesday. Asked what he was looking forward to when the teams meet at the Intuit Dome, Harden simply said, “A win.”
Harden won’t be facing former teammate Joel Embiid, who has not played this season because of a sore left knee. Sixers coach Nick Nurse told reporters Monday that Embiid is “doing a little bit better, making steps in the right direction” and the 7-foot superstar center will be re-evaluated Tuesday.
But it won’t be his balky knee that keeps him from playing against the Clippers. Embiid received a three-game suspension from the NBA on Tuesday for shoving a Philadelphia columnist.
“Mutual respect is paramount to the relationship between players and media in the NBA,” Joe Dumars, the NBA’s executive vice president of basketball operations, said in a statement announcing the suspension. “While we understand Joel was offended by the personal nature of the original version of the reporter’s column, interactions must remain professional on both sides and can never turn physical.”