INGLEWOOD, California – paul george He heard about it Wednesday night when he returned to Los Angeles for the first time since leaving the Clippers for the Philadelphia 76ers last summer.

Fans booed George when he was introduced at the Intuit Dome, the Clippers’ new 18,000-seat arena, but it was announced that 15,627 people were in attendance. They raised their voices every time the ball was touched throughout the match. He responded with back-to-back 3-pointers at first.

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

George played with 18 points and 7 rebounds on 7 of 9 shots in 24 minutes. 110-98 loss. The Sixers fell to 1-6.

“He was getting a lot of attention, a lot of double teams,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said. “He had some good shots and played some pretty good defense at times, but he’s still working his way back conditioning-wise.”

George was playing only his second game of the season after a left knee injury kept him out. He scored 15 points in the 32nd minute of the Sixers’ 118-116 loss to Phoenix on Monday.

“They’re throwing a lot of things at me that I’m not quite ready for right now because I’m still trying to get healthy,” George said. “I will be better. I will do the work, but this is a difficult time.

Near the end of the first quarter, the Clippers played a video tribute to George on a giant haloed billboard above the court. He waved to greet polite applause.

“Every time I try to lock in and get ready, I look back and see someone I know,” he said. “It suddenly took me out of the mindset of getting ready and then I tried to lock in again and there was another person.”

During his five seasons with the Clippers, the native of nearby Palmdale helped them to their first-ever Western Conference Finals appearance, but they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs the last two years.

“He is a special talent,” Lue said.

George waived his player option in his $48 million contract with the Clippers to become a free agent and was persuaded to play with Philly’s Joel Embiid.

“This is so stupid,” George said of the boos. “I was a free agent. It wasn’t like I was demanding a trade here or going against the team. “I did what was best for me in this situation.”

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

“I wish it was a little fuller,” George said. “This thing is incredible, what (owner Steve) Ballmer has done and his vision. It’s the best arena to play in.”

The Wall, a seating area limited to die-hard Clippers fans located near the visiting row, also weighed in with George.

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

Another fan held a sign that read “Paul G, Please Come Back.” The Clippers are again without Kahwi Leonard, who has not yet played this season while he is recovering from his surgically repaired right knee. Besides George, they also lost Russell Westbrook from the Big Four, which is now down to Leonard and James Harden.

“There is no bad blood. I talked to these guys the whole process,” George said. “Whether we’re teammates or not, those are the bonds you make for life. “No matter what happens in basketball, it doesn’t affect this relationship.”

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