PHOENIX – In a high-stakes season that has seen the Philadelphia 76ers get out of hand and lose some of the action in just six games, they certainly needed some positive energy Monday night.

So here's a positive thought: The Sixers got Paul George in uniform and they looked like a real basketball team against the Phoenix Suns.

As they have done five times this young regular season, the Sixers fell short. They allowed Kevin Durant to take over a game they appeared to have won and fell to 1-5 with a 118-116 loss. They led by nine points with five minutes left, so the Sixers should have found a way to close out the game.

But as George made his 76ers debut, having missed the first five games with a bone bruise in his left knee, the Sixers finally displayed a dynamic offense. They looked good and played well, despite a defeat that would be hard to swallow under most circumstances. That's why the mood in the post-match dressing room was positive. This Philadelphia team has had to deal with a season's worth of adversity in just a few weeks, from the unavailability of George and star center Joel Embiid to the questions surrounding it, including the incident between Embiid and a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter on Saturday night . And now there's the NBA's investigation into the incident, making Embiid's status even more uncertain.

And that's a little off the pitch.

On the field, the Sixers looked sluggish offensively. Young star Tyrese Maxey has taken on too much responsibility for himself and others. The role players had to act far outside of their roles. The offense was a chore. So with George finally healthy and ready to play, the Sixers got closer to what they had envisioned for this season on Monday night. Sure, it ended in defeat. But now the team can focus on improving the little things on the sidelines. George takes care of many important issues.

“He takes a lot of pressure off all of us,” Maxey said The athlete. “When he’s on the ground you can see it. We are much more balanced. I didn't have to do as much, so I was a lot fresher. It just helps all of us to have him back.”

George didn't play particularly well on Monday night. Most importantly, he didn't realize the 76ers were down two points after the final possession. He believed the Sixers were down by a single point, so he made a contested 20-foot jump shot in the final seconds. If he had known the score, he would have taken a 3-pointer to win, whether he made it or missed it. That's a mental mistake that can't happen to someone with George's talent and experience.

He shot just 4 of 14 from the field and turned the ball over seven times. But that's largely the product of rust. This is what happens when you don't play basketball in game conditions for an extended period of time. When the Sixers needed a few clear shots to tie the game, Paul didn't score in the fourth quarter.

But he came out healthy Monday night. There were no setbacks. There were no disturbances in the locker room. He's ready to tackle the rest of a three-game road trip that includes a Wednesday night match against his old team, the Los Angeles Clippers.

“I’ll watch film of the game and recover as usual,” George said. “I felt great. My wind and my condition were better than expected. There were times when I was tired. There were times when I was gassed. But I wanted to play through it because I wanted to build my endurance. I wasn’t supposed to play 31 minutes, but I wanted to play 31 minutes, if you know what I mean.”

The PG8 era has begun! @forthepeople pic.twitter.com/AX7rFLnObv

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 5, 2024

For George, who is one of the most skilled players in the game, the shootout will happen. But despite the rust, you could see what his presence did for the rest of the Sixers. It gave Maxey the freedom to focus on his own work without the burden of having to run the entire offense. With George, the 76ers' spacing was better than at any point this season. With George, the Sixers were a bigger team, especially in the outfield. And with George, the Sixers were able to attack the Phoenix defense from multiple angles on the field. The role players' shots were significantly less controversial. The attack was easier.

Monday night was the first time this season that the Sixers scored up to 110 points in regular time. (They scored 118 points in overtime against the Indiana Pacers in their only win.) They made 20 three-pointers, played fast and had 27 assists. George's seriousness and ability to create a basketball advantage helped in all of these areas.

“I think there were definitely really positives,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said. “I think one of the biggest ones is we had 27 assists. That's a big number for us so far this season. So you can see what adding a dynamic creator does to our offense. It changes a lot for us. There's a lot more space to move the ball and there's a lot more options for the guys on the field. There’s a lot more opportunity for free throws and being able to move the basketball, and I think the guys did a really good job of that.”

A loss is still a loss. Only the Milwaukee Bucks have had a worse start to the Eastern Conference than Philadelphia. But it bodes well that the Sixers were able to beat a very good Phoenix team on the road. How much does that mean? It will become tangible when the Sixers get some wins. Keep in mind that the Sixers still don't know how long they'll be without Embiid.

He accompanied the team on its current road trip through the Western Conference. He was at shootaround and in a good mood. But the league's investigation into Saturday night's incident involving Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes has yet to be completed. And Embiid's entry into the game was slow. Barring any punishment from the league, the Sixers are not ruling Embiid out for this trip. However, there is no definitive answer as to when it will be available.

So the team from Monday evening? That could be the team for now. With all three stars available, the Sixers are obviously still a dynamic squad. But the victories must come. Even in an 82-game season, Philadelphia needs to avoid getting too caught up in the sidelines.

So the Sixers are celebrating George's debut. They saw how much better his inclusion in the lineup made the roster look.

“We’re not worried,” Maxey said. “We just know we have to get better as the games go on. The most important thing is that we got Paul back and his return helps us all.”

(Photo of Paul George being defended by Jusuf Nurkic and Devin Booker: Joe Camporeale / Imagn Images)