Jan 24, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) reacts to his score against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Paul George underwent an MRI and ultrasound on his left fifth finger, revealing an injury to the extensor tendon, the Sixers told reporters ahead of Tuesday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
This could impact one's abilities to extend the affected wrist, open the affected hand or straighten the affected fingers, according to Dr. Gordon Groh.
George will be re-evaluated on Wednesday to get a better sense for his return to play, a team spokesperson told On Pattison.
"I think it is day-to-day. I think we're happy that we know it's not going to be super long. That it's not major stuff," Nick Nurse told reporters ahead of the matchup with the Lakers.
"I think they're working on trying to figure out how to get him back as fast as they can."
There is a bit of ambiguity as to what exactly the injury is. The Sixers' official listing for the injury is a 'left finger; sprain'. In Tuesday's update, they defined it as 'an injury to the extensor tendon'.
An injury to a tendon is commonly thought of as a strain. Sprains and strains are not one and the same.
Regardless, it does not sound as though George's timeline is affected by it being an injury to his non-shooting hand. As Nurse mentioned, the Sixers are hopeful that George's absence will not be an extended one.
As for the other franchise tentpole currently down, Joel Embiid was spotted shooting in the hours before tip-off:
Joel Embiid — kind of in uniform? — sighting pregame. The Sixers did not have shootaround, but just wrapped a pregame walkthrough.
— Gina Mizell (@ginamizell.bsky.social) January 28, 2025 at 5:32 PM
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He was a partial participant at Monday's practice, but will not play in either game of the Tuesday-Wednesday back-to-back.
"Pretty good. Again, he was in most of practice [on Monday]. We had a walkthrough today, but the guys that weren't playing weren't really a part of that at one end," Nurse said.
"He was doing some shooting beforehand. So, I think he's feeling better, getting better. Trying to get him back out there soon, hopefully."
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