Star forward Paul George stepped back onto the floor at last, giving the Philadelphia 76ers the return they had been waiting on through another stretch of uncertainty. The moment felt steady, not dramatic. Paul George moved with caution early, then with more confidence as the minutes built , shaking off the weight of a injury layoff that dragged longer than anyone hoped . The crowd rose when he checked in. The team shifted around him. And the 76ers finally got a real look at the lineup it imagined all summer.

George didn’t try to dress it up . “It felt good,” the 76ers star said . “Rusty, for sure. You could see that. But being out there again, just hooping, competing, that part felt great.” His honesty set the tone. He admitted his conditioning is still coming. He admitted his l

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