76ers struggle to find balance between Paul George and Tyrese Maxey in uneven debut for nine-time All-Star

With 4:22 left in the fourth quarter of Paul George’s Philadelphia 76ers debut against the Phoenix Suns on Monday, Tyrese Maxey missed a three-pointer that would have given his team a 116-106 lead. It was a worthwhile shot considering he’d already scored six of them in the game, and with so much time left on the clock, he probably figured he’d have a few more chances to add to his already eye-catching total of 31 points. the night.

That turned out to be the last field goal Maxey would attempt against Phoenix, with just one more point on the foul line down the stretch. Philadelphia’s seven-point lead in the final minutes evaporated in part because they couldn’t find the balance between George and Maxey.

George initiated the offense on five of Philadelphia’s final six half-court possessions, and while his teammates’ mistakes deserve most of the blame, the 76ers didn’t take a single point on any of them. That includes their final offensive possession of the game in which George attempted a long step-back 3-pointer that would have tied the game instead of getting behind the line for a potential game-winning attempt. He failed and Phoenix escaped with the victory.

It was a mixed debut overall for George, who was 4 of 14 from the field and scored 15 points for Philadelphia. He also had five rebounds and four assists in the 32-minute effort, and while he consistently managed to draw defensive help during those final possessions, a 76ers team still lacking another All-Star in Joel Embiid needed a little more from its new maximum. -Free agent with salary even as he recovers from the bone bruise that kept him out of his first five games.

Over time, the 76ers will figure out how to handle their offensive weapons in close games. Monday has the opportunity to serve as a teaching moment. But at 1-5, the 76ers are starting to dig a significant hole in the standings. The idea of ​​catching 8-0 Cleveland or 7-1 Boston is starting to seem unrealistic, and a possible sanction for Embiid after an incident Saturday in which he shoved a reporter could complicate matters even more.

Things won’t get any easier for the 76ers on the schedule either. They close this trip with a two-game road trip to Los Angeles against the Lakers and Clippers, and after a brief respite against the Hornets at home, they have a back-to-back against the Cavaliers and Knicks.

If the 76ers are going to survive this early stretch without Embiid, their process (as loaded as that word is in Philadelphia) must improve.