I’m going to make a wild guess and say that anyone who actually watches this video became much nauseous and distracted at halftime of this Philadelphia 76ers preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks.

After Paul George was eliminated with more than eight minutes left in the second round, he was substituted. After he didn’t return for the remainder of the game, the team ruled him out completely for the second half. It wasn’t until midway through the fourth period that the Sixers confirmed that George had suffered a left knee hyperextension. That’s all the information available at the time of writing, but we’re at Liberty Ballers I will keep you informed of any updates.

In the meantime, we can talk about the game in question. Aside from missing Joel Embiid, who won’t play at all in the preseason, Nick Nurse made another change to his rotation tonight, pushing Caleb Martin out of the starting lineup and replacing him off the bench instead.

It was an ugly beginning. After a sloppy first five minutes full of turnovers and missed shots by the Sixers, all spectators were further punished by a delay of game caused by a faulty shot clock – this time not even at the Wells Fargo Center! However, after this break, things began to turn around as George and Tyrese Maxey took over and got things back on track.

Once they took the lead, things were looking much smoother for the Sixers…until the aforementioned George situation occurred at 8:16 of the second quarter.

Once it became clear to everyone that George was injured, I had a hard time paying attention, I admit, but in the end the Sixers beat the Hawks 104-89. They have Tuesday night off and return to preseason action Wednesday night when they host former teammate Ben Simmons and the Brooklyn Nets at the Wells Fargo Center.

Until then, let’s talk about Bell Ringer for a moment as we eagerly await more updates on PG.

Tyrese Maxey: 14 points, 7 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals

Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images

Things started to turn around for the Sixers early on as Tyrese Maxey seemed to take control of the game. He wasn’t perfect and had some inefficient shots, but he was crucial in turning the Sixers’ offense around when it was pretty damn awful coming out of the gate. Maxey was involved in 16 of the Sixers’ 23 points at the end of the first frame, scoring six points and assisting 10.

Maxey already seems to be in such a groove and it’s getting better with every outing. He just seems ready for not only the regular season, but a regular season where he could get another crack at the game. His mid-range jumper looks better than ever and he took advantage of those opportunities aggressively. His three-point shooting tonight left a bit to be desired, hitting just 2 of 9, but he still led the Sixers with 14 points and seven assists. He also had two steals tonight.

A nice little side note: At the end of the second frame, we got an entertaining glimpse of what a two-man game between Maxey and Andre Drummond can look like at its best. It is crucial for the Sixers that Maxey can work in sync with the center who is on the court, something fans may not know about always Be Joel Embiid. It’s nice to see Maxey show this level of agreement with Drummond.

Paul George: 8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images

(Written in real time while watching the game)

It’s so nice to watch a wing achieve smooth and consistent success in iso opportunities like Paul George does. He helped get the Sixers’ offense back on track early by converting from everywhere – a triple, a midrange pull-up and a running dunk in the first period.

Oh… and then he got hurt because apparently we can’t have nice things here. At 8:16 Q2, George appeared to tweak his left knee while making a defensive play. At the next break in play he left the game and did not return. The only information at the time of writing is that George left the game due to left knee hyperextension.

In 12:26 minutes played, he scored eight points on 3-for-5 field goal shooting with two rebounds, one assist and one steal.

Sigh…

Andre Drummond: 5 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 3 blocks

Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images

Drummond doesn’t do anything spectacular, but he does exactly what the Sixers brought him here to do. Grab rebounds and be a solid defensive presence below the rim. It’s that simple, and that’s exactly what he continues to do. Drummond grabbed 11 rebounds, made three blocks and had two steals on Monday. He also had five points.

He also made two more three-point attempts…but neither of them hit tonight. I’m not sure how much of the distance game we’ll see in the regular season, but it’s still fun to watch him try it while the games don’t count.

Guerschon Yabusele: 10 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block

Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images

Yabusele continues to impress in his Sixers’ preseason. Nurse had him take on multiple roles Monday night, first as a small-ball five-man coming off the bench to replace Drummond. He switched to the foursome late in the second period while lying on the floor next to Drummond.

Something that stood out to me (and continued tonight) is Yabusele’s willingness to shoot triples and the speed at which he sinks them. Against the Hawks, he went 2-for-4 from distance, giving him a 6-for-12 record in four preseason contests (according to RealGM). Yabusele is a huge threat from off the court, partly because he can quickly score some points for the Sixers, but more importantly because he spreads the court when he’s out there.

He also looked extremely solid on the glass, which is always a welcome sight for a Sixers team.

Yabusele scored 10 points (4-for-6 field goal shooting) with 11 rebounds, three assists and a block tonight.

KJ Martin: 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Martin continues to progress and does things he did well last season even better this time. This preseason, Martin continues to bring a high level of energy and appears to be constantly moving and cutting to find open spaces off the ball – a breath of fresh air for those of us who have seen a stale Sixers offense standing completely motionless off the ball over and over again in recent seasons. He also made a solid and competent impression on defense.

He finished Monday with 11 points on 5-for-6 field goal shooting with three rebounds, two assists and a steal.