Paul George scores 23 points for the 76ers in his preseason debut

Paul George made his preseason debut for the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday and delivered the type of performance that has Sixers fans excited about the season ahead.

George scored 23 points and led all scorers in the Sixers' 121-111 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Des Moines, Iowa. The nine-time All-Star shot 8 of 15 from the floor, including 4 of 9 on 3-pointers, and added six rebounds in 26 minutes. He didn't play in the fourth quarter.

Tyrese Maxey added 21 for Philadelphia, followed by Kelly Oubre Jr. with 15 points. Andre Drummond grabbed 15 rebounds for the Sixers.

According to Sixers coach Nick Nurse, Joel Embiid did not play due to a “scheduled examination” of his left knee.

George told reporters at practice on Wednesday that his goals for Friday's debut were to improve his conditioning and his relationship with his teammates on the field.

Naz Reid led the Timberwolves with 19 points, followed by 17 from Jaden McDaniels and 16 from Anthony Edwards. Donte DiVincenzo had six points and seven rebounds in his first preseason game since joining the Timberwolves after being part of the blockbuster deal between Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks.

(Towns scored 25 points with 12 rebounds in his preseason debut for the Knicks on Wednesday.)

George joined the 76ers after signing a maximum four-year, $212 million contract in free agency and left the Los Angeles Clippers after five seasons. The addition of George to their star duo of Embiid and Maxey has raised championship expectations in Philadelphia, where the Sixers are viewed as challengers to the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics.

During his 15 NBA seasons, George averaged 20.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 39% on 3-pointers.

The 76ers open the NBA regular season on October 23rd and host the Milwaukee Bucks.