INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Norm Powell is on an absolute heater, and he led the Clippers to a 110-98 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in Paul George’s return to Intuit Dome on Wednesday. 

Powell continued his torrid offensive stretch, going for 26 points on 8-for-10 shooting and tying his career high in assists at 6. 

The key for the Clippers was the ability to force turnovers, as the Sixers had 20 in total, with the Clippers scoring 27 points off of those. 

Of course, the main attraction of the night was the return of Paul George to Los Angeles (well, Inglewood) to face the team he left in free agency in the offseason. 

In his second game of the season after returning from a bone bruise in his knee, George looked much smoother than his first game. 

He went 7-9 from the field and finished with 18 points in only 23:36 minutes of action. Head Coach Nick Nurse of the Sixers mentioned that they have him on a 20-25 minute restriction as he works his way back from injury.

Along with the play came a lot of boos, fan-made signs, and chatter towards George. Fans were not happy with the things that George said about the Clippers after his departure from the team in the offseason, and they let him hear it. 

While there was a tribute video which thanked him for his time as a Clipper, including the historic run to the Western Conference Finals in 2021, the fans made it well known he was the enemy on Wednesday night. 

For George, it was a homecoming, but for the fans, it was a chance to let him know how they really felt about his comments over the offseason. George mentioned that the Clippers “felt like the B team” and how his decision was about “playing the right way.” 

Well, the Clippers team itself proved why they are still competitive even without George in the lineup every night. Derrick Jones Jr. had a rebound game, scoring 14 points, Amir Coffey continued to be a spark off the bench, scoring 11 points, and Kris Dunn (+17) was a menace on the defensive end. 

Nico Batum has also come on as of late, getting 3 steals and 7 points off the bench, doing all of the dirty work for that bench unit.

The Clippers are now 2nd in team defense early on in the season, behind the vaunted Oklahoma City Thunder, who own the best record in the Western Conference.

This team has the ability to lock down on the defensive end, and if they can cut down on turnover and play more efficiently offensively, they should find themselves in the mix as the season moves along, even without Kawhi Leonard. 

The 4-4 Clippers now go on the road, as they take on the Sacramento Kings at 7:00 PM PST on Friday.