Paul George finally made his return to the court on Monday night.

George made his season debut on Monday after undergoing offseason knee surgery, which knocked him out for the first 12 games of the year. He did so against his former team in the Los Angeles Clippers, too, where he spent five seasons before landing with the 76ers last season.

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George had nine points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes in the 110-108 win for Philadelphia. He was on an undisclosed minutes restriction. George shot 2-of-9 from the field and just 1-of-4 from behind the arc.

He came out hot, too, after rejoining the starting lineup. He scored the first five points of the game for the 76ers and hit a quick 3-pointer right away.

But the Clippers responded with a 14-0 run right after that, forcing an early Philadelphia timeout. George only scored two more points in the first half, and the Clippers took a 10-point lead into the break.

The 76ers slowly rallied out of that hole, however, and ended up taking the lead late in the fourth quarter back after a pair of quick 3-pointers from Quentin Grimes and Tyrese Maxey. The Clippers had multiple good looks to get back in it, however, but James Harden missed back-to-back looks at a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer. That allowed the 76ers to escape with the two-point win.

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Maxey led the way with 39 points in the win for Philadelphia, and Grimes added 19 points off the bench. Harden had 28 points to lead the Clippers while shooting just 2-of-12 from behind the arc. Kobe Sanders added 17 points, too. The loss was the second straight for the Clippers, who sit at just 4-10 on the year.

George played in just 41 games last season, and averaged 20.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting over 38% from 3-point range. During his career, George has had a history of injuries, causing him to miss significant time on the court. In the previous six seasons, George has played more than 56 games just one time — his last year with the Clippers. Whether it was load management or injury, George has not been the most reliable player over the past several years. George played in just 41 games last season, and averaged 20.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting over 38% from 3-point range.

Philadelphia brought George in during the 2024 offseason on a four-year, $212 million deal, and he was supposed to be the second mate of Joel Embiid to help get the team over the hump in the postseason. The 76ers have never advanced past the second round of the playoffs since Embiid entered the NBA.

Things didn’t go as planned, with George playing only half the season and Embiid also missing 63 games with a knee injury. Once both players are back on the court alongside All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey, the expectation for the 76ers is to contend in the Eastern Conference. They entered Monday night with a 7-5 without George this season, and they are 4-2 in the six games Embiid has been available for thus far.

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While he’s not back to normal just yet — it’s unclear how long he’ll be on a minutes restriction — George is at least back out on the court. That’s a start, and a welcome sign for the 76ers as they try to avenge their struggles from a year ago.