INGLEWOOD — Homecomings usually are full of warm welcomes, fond appreciation and admiration. Not, however, if your initials are PG.
There was little love from the fans on Wednesday night at Intuit Dome as Paul George returned to town for the first time to face the Clippers, the team he spent five seasons with before moving east as a free agent this summer.
But there wasn’t much love for a player who spent five seasons hitting memorable game-winning shots and helping lead the Clippers to their first Western Conference finals in 2021.
Apparently, the only thing the fans remembered was how the nine-time All-Star shunned an extension offer from the Clippers and signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in the offseason.
They showed their feelings quickly, booing as soon as George got the ball off the opening tip. He brought the ball up the court a few minutes later and was booed a bit more heartily. In fact, every time he touched the ball, the sparse crowd at Intuit Dome booed.
Even when his tribute video, highlighting many of his on- and off-court contributions to the team and community, ended, some fans cheered; most booed. Still others held signs suggesting the Palmdale native play more and talk less, a shot at his “Podcast P” program.
“Boo him tonight and love him afterwards,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said before the game.
Through it all, George played on. In his second game this season, the guard had 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting and seven rebounds in a 110-98 loss to a team that bears little resemblance to the roster from his time here. The Clippers added nine new players in the offseason.
Yet, two familiar faces led the Clippers. Norman Powell had a game-high 26 points, his seventh straight game with 20-plus points, while James Harden added 18 points, four rebounds and six assists.
Derrick Jones Jr., who took over George’s starting role, finished with 14 points and four rebounds.
George had spurned the Clippers’ extension offer and after negotiations stalled, he signed a four-year, $212 million max-level deal with the 76ers. George said he anticipated an emotional start to the game.
“I think the beginning will be the toughest part,” George told reporters at shootaround earlier in the day. “You know, saying hi to everyone. Kinda taking myself away from the competitive side for a little bit and just enjoying seeing people that I spent time with here.
“Then after that, it’s throw the ball out there, throw the ball up in the air, it’s go time, and just forget about it and focus on what the now is and the present is and that’s being a Philadelphia 76er and try to win a game.”
The Clippers didn’t get swept up in the emotion of seeing their former teammate. They were all business in winning their second straight game, doing so in unpredictable fashion by building a double-digit lead and maintaining it.
Blowing late-game leads had become something of a trend this season, which pushed the Clippers’ first five games down to the wire. Not this time.
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Leading by 16 points at the end of the third quarter, the Clippers didn’t fold. They extended their lead to 22 (103-81) with six minutes remaining. The rest was easy as the Sixers didn’t mount much of a challenge despite having three other players in double figures and shooting 54.8 percent.
Kelly Oubre finished with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting, Caleb Martin had 14 points and Tyrese Maxey 12 points.
There wasn’t any public interaction before the game between injured Clippers star Kawhi Leonard and George, who joined the team together in the summer of 2019 and for five years were the co-leaders of the 213 Era, but George insisted the two remain close.
“That’s still my guy, I still talk to him. He’s still one of the closest people I am with to this day in this league. We still talk. We still hang out. Nothing’s changed,” George said earlier Wednesday. “Our families are close. Nothing’s changed outside of that.”
More to come on this story.