When the Philadelphia 76ers signed Paul George prior to last season, they envisioned a dynamic \u201cbig three\u201d with George, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.<\/p>\n
That vision, delayed many times by the players\u2019 injuries, came to fruition in the Sixers\u2019 most recent game \u2014 and they hope to see an encore performance Thursday when the slumping Sacramento Kings come to town.<\/p>\n
In Tuesday\u2019s 139-122 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, George tied the franchise record with nine 3-pointers en route to 32 points. The veteran forward had made seven total 3-pointers in his previous six games.<\/p>\n
Preview: Sacramento Kings vs. Philadelphia 76ers<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought we played great offensively as a unit,\u201d said George. \u201cThe ball just found me in those moments and I knocked shots down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Embiid contributed 29 points and nine rebounds against Milwaukee, while Maxey notched 22 points and nine assists. Philadelphia finished 22 of 42 (52.4%) from 3-point range with George (9 of 15) and reserve Jared McCain (5 of 6) doing a bulk of the damage.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, we had a lot of 3-balls going in there tonight,\u201d said Sixers coach Nick Nurse, whose team had lost by 37 points in Charlotte one day earlier. \u201cThe ball was moving good. Obviously, Paul and Jared, with their hot streak there, widened the gap for us for sure, which was good to see out of both of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Embiid, Maxey and George are well established as offensive forces, Saturday\u2019s game was perhaps most important for McCain. The second-year guard has struggled this season but produced arguably his best performance of 2025-26 against Milwaukee with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe definitely needed this one,\u201d Nurse said of McCain, whose has endured knee and thumb injuries after an impressive start to his rookie season of 2024-25.<\/p>\n
McCain could see more minutes Thursday, particularly if key reserve Quentin Grimes misses a second straight game with an ankle injury.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Sacramento Kings have lost six straight games and has struggled all season away from home. The team is just 3-20 on the road, including three straight losses to begin their six-game road trip. Most recently, the Kings fell to the New York Knicks 103-87 on Tuesday despite 34 points from DeMar DeRozan.<\/p>\n
\u201cDeebo did everything that he could,\u201d Sacramento coach Doug Christie said, referring to DeRozan by his nickname. \u201cSo, you know you can\u2019t play him the whole 48 minutes. But when we were able to play through him, we got a lot of really good looks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell Westbrook added 14 points for Sacramento, while Domantas Sabonis contributed 11 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.<\/p>\n
The Sacramento Kings certainly will be hoping for a crisper shooting performance against the Sixers. The team made just 5 of 30 shots from beyond the arc against the Knicks, with DeRozan and Westbrook combining to shoot 3 of 16.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, 16% isn\u2019t going to cut it, obviously, from the 3-point line,\u201d Christie said. \u201cAnd, you know, this is a make-or-miss league.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Kings\u2019 coach still was optimistic about his team\u2019s effort, particularly from the first three quarters against New York. Sacramento was tied heading into the fourth before everything fell apart.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we play to that level consistently, we\u2019ll win our fair share of games,\u201d Christie said.<\/p>\n
This is the first matchup between the Kings and Sixers this season. The teams split their two meetings a season ago.<\/p>\n
\u2013Field Level Media<\/p>\n
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season<\/p>\n
Thursday, January 29th\u00a0\u2013 @ Philadelphia 76ers \u2013 4:00 PM PT
\nSunday, January 30th\u00a0\u2013 @ Boston Celtics \u2013 4:30 PM PT
\nSunday, February 1st\u00a0\u2013 @ Washington Wizards \u2013 3:00 PM PT
\nWednesday, February 4th\u00a0\u2013 vs. Memphis Grizzlies \u2013 7:00 PM PT
\nFriday, February 6th\u00a0\u2013 vs. Los Angeles Clippers \u2013 7:00 PM PT<\/p>\n
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