Bill Simmons didn’t wait long to join the Paul George appreciation society.
After George lit up the Philadelphia 76ers in Boston’s 123-101 win Tuesday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena, the longtime Celtics fan and The Ringer founder hopped on X with a playful message of support.
“Paul George - I’ve always liked him!!!!!” Simmons wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
George gave him plenty of reason to say it. In his first game against Philadelphia since being traded to Boston, the 36-year-old delivered a big night with 36 points and five rebounds, doing most of his damage with a hot hand from everywhere on the floor. He shot 14-of-22 overall, 6-of-11 from three and 2-of-2 at the line.
Boston got the tone-setter it needed early. George scored 17 points in the first half on 7-of-11 shooting, helping the Celtics build a 62-51 lead by halftime. Philadelphia tried to answer in the third quarter, but Boston slammed the door in the fourth, outscoring the Sixers 32-19 and stretching the margin as high as 29.
The game carried some extra meaning for the nine-time NBA All-Star, who was asked before tipoff how he expected to be received in Philadelphia. George’s two seasons there were derailed by injuries and a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy.
“I’m not sure. In some ways, I helped land them a future piece,” George said, referring to Jaylen Brown.
The pregame chatter was supposed to center on Brown’s first matchup with Jayson Tatum since the trade, but George ended up owning the night. Tatum finished with 21 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Payton Pritchard added 18 points.
Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 24 points. LeBron James was held to 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting. Boston moved to 9-2 with the victory, while Philadelphia dropped to 9-3.
The Celtics head to Toronto to face the Raptors on Wednesday, and Simmons will almost certainly be keeping an eye on George again.
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