As the new NBA season grows closer, teams have released their full schedules for the upcoming season. The 76ers will play 27 national TV games, not including the additional 12 games that will air on NBA TV. That’s quite a jump in national airtime from the 14 games they had last year. Here are some of the key games to keep your eye on:
Sixers vs Celtics Rematch (October 16th, 8:00 pm, TNT)
The Sixers and Celtics will face off on opening night in a Eastern Conference Semifinals rematch. The Celtics will have a healthy Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward in addition to the group that made it to the Conference Finals last season.
The Sixers are deeper than they were last year with the additions of Wilson Chandler, Mike Muscala and Landry Shamet. All eyes will be on Markelle Fultz as he debuts his new jumpshot and reinvigorated game. The team will hope that by retaining and adding to the core, they will have what it takes to take down the Celtics, one of the deepest teams in the league.
76ers host Mitchell and the Jazz (November 16th, 7:00 pm)
The rivalry between two of the league’s brightest stars continues in a duel between Ben Simmons and Donovan Mitchell. The two sophomores will go at one another as they try to fight for victory. While Simmons and Mitchell trade blows, Rudy Gobert will have his hands full as he tries to stop Joel Embiid. It should be a game full of grittiness and passion, which is all that NBA fans can ask for.
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Sixers welcome KAT and the Timberwolves (January 15th, 7:00 pm)
The Sixers will take on the trio of Jimmy Butler, Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns and the rest of the Wolves as they begin their journey of an 8 game stretch where they face 7 Western Conference opponents. The Warriors, Rockets, Spurs and Lakers will all prove to be worthy adversaries for the Sixers. If they can start the stretch off with a win, their morale and confidence will be high as they go toe to toe with the monster that is the Western Conference.
Embiid & Co. visit The Oracle (January 31st, 7:30 pm, TNT)
The Sixers will take on Stephen Curry and the Warriors in a primetime matchup that will truly test the young team. The Warriors are a juggernaut and only another juggernaut will be able to take them down. This game will test the team’s limit and we’ll see just how far they’ve come in their collective development. It’s ok if they aren’t quite there yet, but to evaluate their progress and see what they need to add or improve upon to be on the Warriors’ level will be very important going forward. Also, it’ll be fun to see Embiid and Draymond Green go at it a bit.
Embiid vs Whiteside Round: We’ve lost count (February 21st, 7:00 pm)
Everyone will get to see Joel Embiid and Hassan Whiteside face off once again. While this won’t be their first matchup this upcoming season, it might be their most interesting one. It’ll mark the Sixers first game since returning from All Star break. Both teams will play hard as they try to push for a high playoff seed. While the 76ers have the advantage in talent level, the Heat’s workhorse attitudes and determination shouldn’t be underestimated. If this game is anything like the games in their last playoff series, this will be a must watch event for basketball fans.
Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
