INGLEWOOD, California. – paul george He found out about it upon his return to Los Angeles on Wednesday night for the first time since leaving the Clippers last summer for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Fans booed George when he was introduced at the Intuit Dome, the Clippers’ new stadium that seats 18,000 but drew an announced attendance of 15,627. They talked every time he touched the ball during the game. At first, he responded by hitting consecutive three-pointers.

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

George scored 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting and seven rebounds in 24 minutes in the 110-98 defeat. The Sixers fell to 1-6.

“He was getting a lot of attention, a lot of doubles,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said. “He had some good baskets and also played really good defense at times, but again, he’s still working on his recovery conditioning-wise.”

George was playing in just his second game of the season after a left knee injury sidelined him. He scored 15 points in 32 minutes of the Sixers’ 118-116 loss at Phoenix on Monday.

“There’s a lot of things being thrown at me that I’m not prepared for right now because I’m still trying to get healthy,” George said. “I’ll be better. “I will try hard, but it is a bad streak.”

At the end of the first quarter, the Clippers played a tribute video to George on the giant scoreboard above the court. He saluted to acknowledge the polite applause.

“Every time I tried to focus and prepare, I would look and see someone I knew,” he said. “It instantly took me out of that mindset of being prepared and then I tried to refocus and there was another person.”

In five seasons with the Clippers, the native of nearby Palmdale helped them reach the Western Conference Finals for the first time, but they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs the last two years.

“He’s a special talent,” Lue said.

George opted out of his player option on his $48 million contract with the Clippers to become a free agent and was courted by Philadelphia to play with Joel Embiid.

“It’s stupid,” George said of the boos. “I was a free agent. It wasn’t something where I demanded a change or went against the team here. “I did what was best for me in that situation.”

The Clippers are 4-4 to start the season, which is not the kind of start they want to attract fans to their new building.

“I wish it had been a little more crowded,” George said. “This is amazing, what (owner Steve) Ballmer did and his vision. It is the best stadium to play in.”

The Wall, a seating section limited to die-hard Clippers fans located near the visiting bench, also influenced George.

“I think I won The Wall,” he said. “They have to do a little better.”

Another fan held up a sign that said “Paul G, please come back.” The Clippers are without Kahwi Leonard, who has yet to play this season as he recovers from his surgically repaired right knee. In addition to George, they also lost Russell Westbrook from their Big Four, which now belongs to Leonard and James Harden.

“There is no resentment. I talked to those guys throughout the entire process,” George said. “Regardless of whether we are teammates or not, those are bonds that are built for a lifetime. Whatever happens in basketball does not affect that relationship.”

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NBA AP: https://apnews.com/hub/nba