3 observations After George misses a game-winning diving attempt in debut, the Sixers fall to the Suns

3 observations after George misses game-winning diving attempt in debut, Sixers fall to Suns originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers were on the verge of an uplifting, thrilling victory on Monday night.

They couldn't quite break through, instead falling to 1-5 on the season with a 118-116 loss to the Suns in Paul George's Sixers debut. Phoenix moved to 6:1.

After Kevin Durant (35 points on 14-for-20 shooting) passed Guerschon Yabusele for a layup, George got a sub that the Sixers liked on Grayson Allen. He narrowly missed a long two-point shot that would have tied the game with about three seconds left.

In his return from a bruised left knee, George played 32 minutes and scored 15 points on 4-for-14 shooting, five rebounds and four assists.

Tyrese Maxey scored 32 points on 12-for-22 shooting.

Joel Embiid (managing a left knee injury) was the only player out for the Sixers. The team's 1-5 start is its worst in six games since the 2016-2017 season.

Next up is a trip to Los Angeles for meetings with the Clippers on Wednesday night and the Lakers on Friday.

Here are observations about the Sixers' loss in Phoenix:

Georgeis the debut

George had to wait a while for his first Sixers hoop.

He attempted a baseline jumper in the Sixers' opening game, but came up well short. On the final possession of the first quarter, George missed a run attempt over Suns rookie Ryan Dunn and fell 0 for 5 from the field.

About 15 seconds into the second quarter, a catch-and-shoot quick-release corner three broke the ice.

George played shorter stints than usual on Monday in his first game appearance since October 14th. Foul trouble didn't help in the first half as he worked to find his personal rhythm and build chemistry with his new teammates. George picked up his third foul at 11:17 of the second quarter and was substituted.

He provided a highlight late in the second period by spinning to the rim and then hitting an off-balance layup in heavy traffic.

George didn't have a good passing night statistically (four assists, seven turnovers) and was, as expected, rusty at times, but he showed his ability to handle the ball confidently in pick-and-rolls, put pressure on the defense and find open teammates. It's obvious that he should catch the defense's attention and improve the Sixers' offense overall.

George's foul was another positive Monday. He shot a team-high seven free throws and made six of them.

In the end, everything will seem rather sour for George and the Sixers based on the final minutes. His last made field goal came with 10:03 left in the third quarter.

Bank bucket

The Sixers fell to 0 for 6 with an aerial ball by Kelly Oubre Jr. from three-point range. Andre Drummond committed four early turnovers, including a couple of poor, casual passes in the backcourt, and the Sixers found themselves trailing by 1-1 in the first quarter Accept 11 points.

Yabusele and Kyle Lowry provided the Sixers with needed role player scoring, each knocking down a pair of three-pointers in the first quarter. Lowry now has an excellent record of 15 for 25 (60 percent) from distance this season.

Eric Gordon drilled a three-pointer in front of the Sixers' bench, then added two free throws and a nifty layup to make it a 9-0 run. As a team, the Sixers were much better in terms of speed and determination on offense.

Jared McCain also hit a triple in the second quarter. The Sixers' bench ultimately scored 29 points on 10-for-17 shooting and 10 assists in the first half.

Yabusele was huge offensively all night and Sixers head coach Nick Nurse played him over Drummond at center throughout the fourth quarter.

As he showed at the Olympics this summer, Yabusele can handle any situation. In the fourth round he managed a side pick-and-roll with George and a powerful dunk against the 2.10 meter tall Jusuf Nurkić. Yabusele set new NBA career highs with points (19), rebounds (seven) and assists (six).

Durant steals the show late

Phoenix's offense didn't have much trouble against either man-to-man defense or zone defense. It's nearly impossible to stop Durant from playing his game and scoring very efficiently.

The Sixers still had some good, competitive team defenses. They were effective against Devin Booker, who has beaten the Sixers many times but was just 3-for-18 from the field on Monday. The team also held its own in the rebound area.

Maxey roared into higher gear in the third quarter, ensuring the Sixers kept pace with Phoenix. On his 24th birthday, he surpassed 5,000 career NBA points with a deep three-pointer, sank a step-back jumper over Allen and scored a layup against Durant late in the shot clock.

Maxey played his season average of 41 minutes but looked awfully fresh early in the fourth quarter. He made two more three-pointers and the Sixers extended their lead to 113-104 with just over five minutes left.

However, they were unable to achieve victory.

Durant proved unstoppable and the Sixers couldn't do anything on offense. Oubre fouled out with 1:40 left and Lowry came in. Caleb Martin missed a baseline jumper after Phoenix blitzed George and forced the ball out of his hands. Maxey tied the game at 116 with 49.6 seconds left, but then missed his second free throw.

In defeat, there are always unfortunate moments and decisions to keep in mind (Nurse not calling a timeout before the final play, for example), but the Sixers were so close to a well-deserved, quality win.

Without Durant's heroics, they would have made it.