The Philadelphia 76ers began their preseason on Monday night against the New York team currently atop the NBA’s success ladder, and they’ll now face the New York team down towards the bottom. The Sixers are in Brooklyn tonight for their second of four preseason contests as they continue to ramp up to the beginning of the regular season now less than two weeks away. Monday’s win over the Knicks was a huge success with the glaring exception of the injury to Ariel Hukporti, who has since been declared
out for the season with a torn right Achilles.
In addition to missing Hukporti tonight, Philadelphia will also be without Dominick Barlow (back soreness), Anfernee Simons (hamstring), and Adem Bona (foot). Nick Nurse spoke yesterday about wanting to get the “majority” of the guys out on the court tonight, which seems to indicate to me that we could be perhaps see the full projected starting five, after Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and LeBron James all sat out against the Knicks. Down both of their backup centers, the big man position is obviously an open question. Nurse mentioned small ball lineups anchored by Jabari Walker, Dean Wade, Barlow (when healthy) and LeBron. Walker had an excellent performance on Monday, securing a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in just 19 minutes, even knocking down three shots from behind the arc. I’d expect him to get plenty of minutes backing up Embiid tonight.
If we do see the full starting group together, it should make for an exciting product. The Blue x White scrimmage showed a great start in those guys building chemistry together, and Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe both played extremely well against the Knicks. Brown scored a very efficient 22 points in 17 minutes, and Edgecombe flashed an improved handle and playmaking ability from his rookie season.
As for Brooklyn, the Nets are thick in the midst of a rebuild with a whopping 12 players either in their first or second year in the league on the roster. Julius Randle now joins Michael Porter Jr. as the vets on the squad after coming over from Minnesota via trade this summer. Former Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr. was taken sixth overall in the 2026 NBA draft, but has been out with an ankle injury and missed Brooklyn’s first preseason game on Tuesday, a 124-90 win over Charlotte.
Not that winning “matters” in the preseason, but it’s certainly a game in which the Sixers should come out on top. More important, though, is the new guys, particularly in the starting group, building the foundation against their first live opponent. Also, obviously, we want everyone to remain healthy coming out of this one. The Knicks game provided plenty of highlights for us to salivate over. Hopefully tonight’s action provides more of the same. As an added bonus, LeBron won’t have to take the helicopter home after tonight’s game.
Game Details
When: Thursday, October 8, 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
Watch: NBCSP+/PCK-PHI
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers
