Kelly Oubre, Jr. has a penchant for getting under the opponent’s skin. Whether it’s doing a push-up after he gets knocked to the floor, flexing after an and-one or blowing a kiss after a made three, his flamboyance can irk even the best players in the league.
Just ask Paul George. Before they were teammates, the veteran wings had a few battles. Both long and highly gifted athletes, they were often matched up with one another.
George said when he first signed in Philly, he happened to be working out
at the same place at the same time as Oubre. According to George, the two didn’t even say anything — just smiled and shared a hug.
“We’ve had our back-and-forths,” George said. “I knew every time we matched up, I was going to get the best out of him and he was going to get the best out of me. We left it on the court, so now it’s an appreciation.“
Unfortunately, the good vibes didn’t last very long.
George hyperextended his knee in the preseason, starting off an injury-riddled campaign. Along with Joel Embiid’s absence, the Sixers never established any continuity, let alone settled on a starting group. The quartet of Oubre, George, Embiid and Tyrese Maxey played a total of 222 minutes last season.
At media day ahead of the 2025-26 season, George made it clear he was comfortable playing the four, something he was resistant to earlier in his career. Ideally, Oubre would slot in at three. But both Oubre and George have missed significant time with knee issues.
On Thursday, Nick Nurse decided to try new starters with his team fully healthy — the four aforementioned players alongside rookie VJ Edgecombe. Prior to the game against the Houston Rockets, that five-man lineup had played a grand total of four possessions together.
In a 128-122 overtime win over the Rockets, that group led a fourth-quarter comeback and dominated overtime to secure arguably the team’s best victory of the season.
“I think it has very high potential,” Oubre said of that starting lineup. “Any given night, you can throw anybody in position and they’ll step up to the plate, so I think that the versatility is key. The grit and the defensive tenacity is great. … I think that the sky is the limit if we can continue to find that groove and find that rhythm.”
Maxey was able to break out of his mini-slump (though the three-ball still wasn’t there), going for 36 points and dishing out 10 assists. Embiid looks more and more like his dominant self — and had a little extra something for Alperen Sengun — posting a 32-point, 15-rebound, 10-assist triple-double. On this particular night, it was Oubre who played third banana, dropping 26.
What makes this particular lineup so dynamic offensively is you have five players who can make plays off the dribble and create offense. It’s hard to remember a time the Sixers have had that … ever. Despite the group not sharing the floor much previously, it might’ve been the most crisp execution we’ve seen from the Sixers offensively this season — against a stout defensive team.
“I thought we got better with our communication,” George said. “We got back on the same page early. Everything is starting to get better. We’re starting to improve — talking, knowing what each other likes, spacing, taking turns matching up with different people.”
But it wasn’t just on offense where this group had success. Maxey and Edgecombe continue to terrorize unsuspecting ball-handlers, combining for six steals. They played a huge role in Kevin Durant’s eight turnovers on the night. Embiid had his best rebounding performance of the season and added two blocks, a sign his body is feeling good.
And you can’t say enough about the job Oubre and George did defending Durant and Sengun. George got in early foul trouble, but the Sixers’ wing duo did a sensational job containing that dangerous pick-and-roll combo late in regulation and overtime.
There was one particular possession where Oubre hounded Sengun, repeatedly knocking away entry passes and poking the ball away from the All-Star big man. Though it doesn’t take much, Oubre was clearly fired up. The defensive stand ignited his team and the crowd.
“I just tried to be disruptive,” Oubre said. “It sucks [for them] because they look depleted every time they try to throw it in and it wasn’t completed. It’s just about me trying my best to stop his rhythm from scoring, because once he gets me under the basket, I’m done. I was just trying to make those effort plays to rally the guys behind me to come help if he does get this ball, but I don’t want him to get it. I think my will was better than their way.”
George has seen that movie before.
“Kelly wants to get every stop and make big plays defensively and take matchups and challenge the best player, put his nose literally in it,” George said. “He’s just fearless defensively. On the floor, period, he’s just fearless.”
The Sixers’ season has been full of “maybe, just maybe” type moments. A resume-boosting win with an intriguing starting group — the one that was projected to start the season — is yet another.
