Before the big snowstorm of 2026 hits us here on the East Coast, the Sixers will look to turn up the heat at Xfinity Mobile Arena as they host the New York Knicks. While the Knickerbockers have generally had Philadelphia’s number in recent years, the Sixers have turned the tide this season, securing a pair of wins at the Garden in December and earlier this month. With the great Bo Bichette debacle this baseball offseason, Philadelphia sports fans will take our wins over New Yorkers where we can get
them.
Head coach Nick Nurse may have his full complement of players to work with, as only Joel Embiid and Paul George were on the injury report, both probable to play. On the opposing sideline, New York just has Karl-Anthony Towns lists as questionable (back).
Despite their third-place position in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks have been in something of a freefall lately. Prior to their comical 120-66 win over the Brooklyn Nets earlier this week (winning by 54 points is good, so credit where it’s due there), New York had lost nine of 11 games. It seems like Towns is being scapegoated here, with all sorts of media and blogosphere types coming up with trade proposals in recent weeks to ship him out of the Big Apple. Sourced reporting has indicated, though, that the Knicks have no plans to trade him before the deadline in February. I would agree that the Jalen Brunson-Towns pairing is not viable defensively, something the Sixers have greatly taken advantage of in the meetings this season. Brunson is certainly more of the favored son in NYC, so moving Towns makes sense from that perspective.
The Sixers will have their own decisions to make at the trade deadline, but for now, they’ll hope to see what sort of team they have with everyone available. Tyrese Maxey is an All-Star starter for the first time. Joel Embiid just played 46 minutes and put up a 32-point triple double. VJ Edgecombe will be in the Rookie of the Year conversation. Paul George is having an excellent defensive campaign and settling in as a third or fourth offensive option. Kelly Oubre Jr. is playing the best ball of his career. Dominick Barlow will be getting a well-deserved standard contract any week now. The East is a strange kettle of fish, and this Sixers group deserves to see where they fall in the pecking order.
Zooming back into this afternoon, my main focus will be on VJ Edgecombe vs. Jalen Brunson Chapter III. The rookie did an outstanding job slowing down the All-Star guard in the first two meetings, and I’m eager to see how Brunson responds without the “we were on a back-to-back” excuse Knicks fans threw out after the games in New York. The Joel Embiid vs. Mitchell Robinson matchup is also interesting given the history of that feud(?) and how Robinson’s relentless attacking of the glass falls under a weaker area of Joel’s game.
Make sure you have your groceries stocked up and settle in for what should be a fun afternoon of basketball before the skies open up and blanket us in a foot-plus of powder.
Game Details
When: Saturday, January 24, 3:00 p.m. ET
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: ABC
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers
