Sixes Bell Ringer regular season standings:

Jared McCain-3

Tyrese Maxey-2

Guerschon Yabusele-2

Paul George-1

Kelly Oubre, Jr. – 1

It’s the day all Sixers fans have been waiting for since the start of the season: the Emirates NBA Cup is here!

Did you think I meant Joel Embiid’s season debut? That happened tonight too. After weeks of uncertainty and “the new normal” and “ramping up,” Embiid finally got his 2024-25 season started Tuesday night in the Sixers’ 111-99 loss to the New York Knicks in NBA Cup East Group A action .

As Embiid got back into the groove, Paul George and Jared McCain carried the weight of the Sixers on their backs. George led the field with 29 points and the rookie McCain was not far behind him with 23 points.

The Sixers held their own with the Knicks for most of this game, but things fell apart late. A 13-0 New York run in the fourth gave the Knicks their first double-digit lead of the night and Philadelphia was never able to recover. It certainly wasn’t the Sixers’ worst effort this young season – in fact, it might have been one of their best – but a combination of sloppy passing, missed open looks and ice-cold shooting throughout the game was too much to overcome late.

For a full recap of tonight’s match, check out ours here!

The Sixers face a tough matchup, with the second game of this back-to-back scheduled in less than 24 hours, when they host a 12-0 Cleveland Cavaliers squad on Wednesday at 7:30 PM ET.

Until then, let’s go to the whistleblower. If you ask me, there are really only two options for tonight.

Paul George: 29 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

George was looking for a consistent shooting stroke to start this season, and he certainly seemed to find it tonight. He hit four of five field goals in the first period for 11 points, and what was most encouraging was that the shots came from all over the floor: midrange jumpers, a triple, from the rim and from the foul line.

And just in case you thought it was a fluke, he opened his second period with this three-point bank shot:

George stayed hot all night and seemed to find a great groove shooting tonight, especially from beyond the arc. He finished 10-for-19 (53%) from the floor and an insane 7-for-11 (64%) from long range, good for a field-leading 29 points.

None of this even mentions the fact that George was stuck on both sides of the floor tonight. He posted a double-double with 10 rebounds (one offensive) and finished with three steals and a block, but that’s exactly what the stats show. With Embiid still back at full strength, having George provide that presence and value on defense is as monumental for the Sixers as the points he scores.

Jared McCain: 23 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

McCain looks nothing like a 20-year-old rookie in the best of ways. It doesn’t matter if it’s Karl Anthony-Towns, Jalen Brunson or the Knicks; he just plays without an ounce of fear or hesitation. That, combined with solid basketball fundamentals, continues to create success for McCain.

Some solid minutes in the first half earned the rookie a spot as Nick Nurse’s first substitute of the second half, with McCain coming on just a few minutes into the third for a struggling Kelly Oubre Jr. McCain took advantage of that opportunity and immediately proved his worth. He scored seven straight points for the Sixers in the third frame, using a series of moves on the Knicks defenders to drive them flush into the paint and finish strong at the rim, even through contact. There were even a few moments where McCain looked uncannily like another great young guard from the Sixers squad…

McCain capped his burst of offensive production in the third with an assist, finding Embiid in a mismatch under the rim for an easy bucket from the big man. The Sixers then fell apart early in the fourth period, but McCain remained calm and collected, hitting a trio of triples in the final frame in an effort to keep Philadelphia afloat. He finished with 23 points and shot 7-of-16 field goals and 4-of-10 from three.

An interesting development to see as McCain gets more time on the floor alongside Embiid is how much space he can get from the center of a screen. There was more than one occasion tonight where the rookie was able to create comfortable separation between himself and the defenders off Embiid’s screen and it’s a trend that Sixers fans should hope to see continue from the duo.