March 26, 2026, 9:42 a.m. ET

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers welcomed a key piece to their success in Wednesday’s 157-137 win over the Chicago Bulls in the form of Paul George.

The 9-time All-Star returned from a 25-game suspension from the league for violating the league’s anti-drug policy and, after a slow start, put on a show.

After shooting just 2-for-10 in the first half, George shook off the rust and showed what he can do. He put up 23 points on 9-for-12 shooting in the second half to finish with 28 points in his first game back sine Jan. 29. When considering the long layoff, him going off the way he did was impressive.

“I think I was just rushing it,” said George. “Just excited, rushing. Rushing shots. Second half, I just had the mindset of just taking my time, getting good looks, just getting to a flow, taking what’s available, and just keep shooting.”

George had mentioned on Thursday that the time off allowed him to strengthen his knee and that he was feeling better after the time off. He confirmed that thought process after the game as he explained how he was able to get going as his body continues to allow him to go off.

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“Yeah, absolutely, absolutely,” said George. “My body felt 100% better. I felt pretty explosive, pretty strong. I felt good. I felt great. So, it definitely helped, and because of that, mentally, I just feel like I can play basketball at a high level. And, you know, actually feel that I could play at a high level. So, it did a lot for me from a physical standpoint.”

There was a stretch in the fourth quarter when George turned back the clock a bit with some isolation moves. He put on a show against Chicago as he scored 12 quick points in the fourth before coach Nick Nurse pulled him with Philadelphia up big. It almost felt as if it was a reminder to everybody that he can still put up big numbers in bunches.

“I mean, that was bringing back classic moments in my scoring bag,” he finished. “Where I can be explosive as a scorer and put points up quick, and that’s just me in a flow, playing at my pace, at my level, getting to my spots, and finding some rhythm.”

George and the Sixers are now just half a game back of the No. 6 seed–which now belongs to the Toronto Raptors–with nine games to play. There is a ton of time to truly move up in the standings as Philadelphia keeps pushing, and George is going to play a big part of that.