INGLEWOOD – Homecomings are usually filled with warm welcomes, warm appreciation and admiration. But not if your initials are PG.

There was little enthusiasm from fans at the Intuit Dome on Wednesday night as Paul George returned to town for the first time to face the Clippers, the team he spent five seasons with before heading east as a free agent this summer pulled.

But there hasn't been much love for a player who spent five seasons making memorable game-winning shots and helping lead the Clippers to their first Western Conference Finals in 2021.

Apparently fans only remembered how the nine-time All-Star turned down an extension offer from the Clippers and signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in the offseason.

They were quick to show their emotions and boo as soon as George got the ball from the opening tip. A few minutes later he brought the ball onto the field and was booed a little more violently. In fact, every time he touched the ball, the sparse crowd in the Intuit Dome booed.

Even as his tribute video ended, highlighting many of his contributions to the team and community on and off the field, some fans cheered. most booed. Still others held signs suggesting the Palmdale native should play more and talk less, a reference to his “Podcast P” program.

“Boo him tonight and love him afterwards,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said before the game.

Despite all this, George continued to play. In his second game this season, the guard scored 18 points on 7 of 9 shooting and seven rebounds in a 110-98 loss to a team that bore little resemblance to the squad from his time here. The Clippers added nine new players in the offseason.

But two familiar faces led the Clippers. Norman Powell scored a game-high 26 points, his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, while James Harden added 18 points, four rebounds and six assists.

Derrick Jones Jr., who took over George's starting role, finished the game with 14 points and four rebounds.

George had rejected the Clippers' extension offer and after negotiations stalled, he signed a four-year, $212 million maximum contract with the 76ers. George said he expected an emotional start to the game.

“I think the beginning will be the hardest part,” George told reporters at Shootaround earlier in the day. “You know, I greet everyone. I'm stepping away from the competition for a while and just enjoying meeting the people I've spent time with here.

“After that it’s throw the ball out, throw it in the air, it’s time to play it and just forget about it and focus on the now and the present and that’s what it means to be a Philadelphia 76er and try “To win a game.”

The Clippers didn't get carried away by the emotion of seeing their former teammate again. They were all about winning their second game in a row and doing so in an unpredictable way, building and maintaining a double-digit lead.

Giving away late-game leads had become something of a trend this season, messing up the Clippers' first five games right up until the end. Not this time.