Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George suffered a hyperextended left knee in the second quarter of Monday’s preseason win at Atlanta and did not return.

“Hopefully everything’s OK, so he’ll be back with us right away,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse told reporters after the game when asked about George’s status.

George, playing his second preseason game with the 76ers after signing a four-year deal to join Philadelphia as a free agent this offseason, defended Hawks forward Jalen Johnson on a drive with just over eight minutes left in the second quarter his left leg planted awkwardly and bent at an odd angle.

He quickly left the game and did not return, so the team ruled George out of the second half for the remainder of the evening.

Philadelphia had already ruled out star center Joel Embiid for the remainder of the preseason on Sunday as Embiid – who suffered a left knee injury last season that limited him to 39 games – continues to increase his conditioning and activity level ready for the regular season opener next week at home against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 23rd.

The 76ers were already planning to be careful with the health of George and Embiid this season. President of basketball operations Daryl Morey told ESPN that both stars “probably won’t play many, if any, back-to-back games.”

And for all the attention to Embiid’s lengthy injury history – he’s missed 204 games over the last eight seasons and missed his first two years in the NBA with foot injuries – the 74 games George played last season in his final year with the Clippers were the the most he has played since 2019, and that was after playing in no more than 56 games in each of his previous four seasons in Los Angeles.