Sixers update Paul George injury, sidelined for first 2 road games with bone bruise

After missing the Philadelphia 76ers’ season opener on Wednesday, Paul George will also be absent for the two-game road trip that begins Friday.

The Sixers say George is “making good progress in his recovery” and an update on his status will be provided early next week. according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Philadelphia faces the Toronto Raptors on Friday, followed by a matinee game with the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. The team then has two days off before hosting the Detroit Pistons next Wednesday. The Sixers lost their season opener to the Milwaukee Bucks, 124–109.

George suffered a bruise in his hyperextended left knee during a game against the Atlanta Hawks on October 14 and has been sidelined since.

George, a 14-year NBA veteran, signed a four-year, maximum $212 million contract with the Sixers in July after spending the past five seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers. Last season, he averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 47.1% from the floor and 41.3% on 3-pointers (a career-high high).

The Sixers will also be without Joel Embiid in their lineup for the next two games as he deals with a left knee injury. Embiid did not play in Philadelphia’s season opener. He will be reassessed this weekend.

However, both players appeared to be “making progress” during Thursday’s practice, according to head coach Nick Nurse.

“They were both involved in most of the action. I think they’re improving and making progress,” Nurse told reporters, via the Philadelphia Inquirer. “They were all basic stuff in the beginning and kind of live-like exercises. Half the field also a bit.”

Neither George nor Embiid participated in five-on-five scrimmaging, which the team prefers to do before being cleared to play.