Paul George will not play Friday night in Boston's preseason finale against the 76ers. Sean Grande of NBC Sports Boston reported that George and the rest of Boston's regulars will sit out the last exhibition, a decision that answers the availability question for tonight before the game even tips.
It comes after George logged 25 minutes in his Celtics debut against the 76ers last Saturday, when he posted 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and five steals. He shot 3-10 from the field, 2-7 from 3-point range and 5-6 from the free-throw line, a workload that showed he was already being used in game action rather than eased in for just a few possessions.
The move also makes the pattern clear: Boston is treating Friday as the last preseason checkpoint, not a night to test its main rotation. George is not being described as unavailable because of anything beyond rest, and that matters because the team has already banked a live look at him and now appears to be protecting that work rather than adding to it.
For now, the bigger point is the one that follows Friday. George and the rest of Boston's regulars should be good to go for Tuesday's regular-season opener against the Pistons, which leaves tonight as a holdout rather than a setback. The unanswered piece is whether that rest designation stays exactly as it is or changes before Tuesday, but the current read is simple: George is out for the finale and headed toward the opener.
