The Philadelphia 76ers could be without Paul George for several weeks after he suffered a hyperextended left knee during their defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.

The Sixers' miserable start to the season continued as they suffered their 12th defeat in 14 games – and their fifth in a row – at FedExForum, going down 117-111.

Philadelphia fielded star trio George, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey together for the first time after the latter recovered from a hamstring injury, but George was forced to exit early in the second half.

George previously missed five games of preseason after hyperextending the same knee, and head coach Nick Nurse believes he could face a similar spell on the sidelines.

"I think they said it was similar to last time, which was a bone bruise, I think," Nurse said. 

"He was actually fairly close to coming back in the game, but then it kind of stiffened up as he got out a little bit more, so I decided not to, and now we got to take a look at it, make sure."

final. @cryptocom pic.twitter.com/z8VcttLCQ0

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 21, 2024

However, Nurse was more upbeat when asked if the team could rule out structural damage to George's knee, saying: "I think so."

George only managed two points, four rebounds and two assists in his 17 minutes on court, going 1-of-6 shooting.

Despite Philadelphia continuing to be hamstrung by fitness concerns, Nurse admitted they had not done enough to warrant a better result.

"Listen, it's certainly not easy," Nurse said. "Tyrese was just getting back and didn't really have a feel tonight, and Paul going out...

"It's certainly not easy but we didn't put enough together again for 48."

The Sixers have seven games in the next 14 days, starting with Friday's home encounter with the Brooklyn Nets and ending against the Orlando Magic on December 6.