Sixers schedule release: "Must-see" home games for each month

The Sixers full schedule was released. Which games should fans be itching to get to?

Schedule day for the NBA is excitingly bland, if that makes any sense. The Sixers nailed themselves 23 nationally televised games, unsurprisingly. The increased talent, including two number one picks making their rookie debuts, was bound to bring more of a spotlight to Philadelphia.

Another factor probably was the team selling a franchise-record amount of ticket sales. A full Wells Fargo Center will be heard across airways night in and night out. But what games should fans be doing the most to get to?

Each month the Sixers have a high-profiled game in Philadelphia, and Sixers fans will being doing anything in their power to see the league’s most promising team go up against some powerhouse counterparts.

October 25th – Houston Rockets

The Sixers have just two home games in the opening month of the NBA season. The home opener being against their Atlantic Division rivals in the Boston Celtics. Even with Boston coming off a top-seeded season and adding Gordon Hayward, the edge has to go to the matchup against the Houston Rockets.

November 18th – Golden State Warriors

Does watching the Warriors ever get boring? No, no it doesn’t. In what will probably be the most expensive regular season game in Philadelphia, the Sixers will go at the Golden State Warriors with a month of basketball behind them.

Joel Embiid will be a go in this one, considering his health is at 100%. The person to watch will be Ben Simmons on the Philadelphia side. How the Warriors play him will be interesting, but they’ll most likely put the rookie star up against a trio of defenders in Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson throughout the game.

Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson are all entertaining players to watch, and although the Warriors will likely handle their business, the game should involve highlight plays from either side.

December 7th – Los Angeles Lakers

This is the matchup everyone (especially the triad of young Sixers stars) have been waiting for. The Sixers go up against Lonzo Ball‘s Lakers. Ball has already proven to be a force when it comes to drawing a crowd, and the mystique of this potential cross-country rivalry, one that peaked in the mid-80’s and continued into the early 2000s, will be enough for any fan to salivate over.

It may not be the cleanest game of basketball, but the collection of young talent will be eye-popping. I’d bank on the Sixers utilizing a decent promotion that night as well, expecting some high-profiled guests in the seats.

January 28th – Milwaukee Bucks

The Sixers have a slate of big home games in January (even one in London!), but the edge goes to the Bucks. San Antonio’s lure with Kawhi Leonard will be there, but social media rivalry may have boosted a matchup between Philadelphia and Milwaukee.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is on the cusp of being one of the elites of the East, and his Bucks had a nice playoff run last season. The Antetokounmpo-Simmons matchup will be as fun as any, and the unique abilities of both young stars will be on display head to head.

The rookie of the year battle last season will likely bring some more edge to this game as well. Dario Saric, Malcolm Brogdon, and Embiid were all apart of a debated race last season, and all three will be looking to improve on their stellar rookie performances.

February 9th – New Orleans Pelicans

February is a lean month when it comes to home match-ups, but DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis make their way to Philadelphia. It’s a dream front court matchup. Cousins and Davis up against Embiid and Simmons.

The rarity in having skilled 7-footers is incredibly high, and having four of them on the court on the same time is simply incredible. Embiid and Cousins had their first battle last season, both of them putting up 25+ points in their head to head in Sacramento.

March 24th – Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves had one of the most feared young cores in the league. And they just added Jimmy Butler to it. While they are still just a borderline playoff team in a stacked Western Conference, the Wolves have some exciting match ups to offer the Sixers.

Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns being the biggest. But adding Jimmy Butler to guard Markelle Fultz or Simmons, and having Andrew Wiggins take either the other or J.J. Redick will make for an interesting clash of young stars. Wiggins comes in still trying to live up to his first overall pick status (and being traded for Kevin Love), while his former Kansas teammate Joel Embiid will try to prove his career isn’t a reincarnation of Greg Oden‘s.

This game will bring some flare later in the season, with both teams looking to cement themselves in the playoff hunt for their respective conferences.

April 6th – Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers final appearance in Philadelphia in the 2017-18 season will come at a crucial time. The third-to-last home game of the year could have some major playoff seeding implications. Also, could it be the last time LeBron James is in Philadelphia wearing a Cavaliers jersey?

Cleveland is possibly on the verge of an implosion, and that could be the Sixers’ final shot of accomplishing a farfetched goal in having James join their stack of young players.

In all, it’s always a must-see when LeBron James is in the building. It was almost fifteen years ago, and it will be for another five years at least.

Next: Ben Simmons stands as the rebuild's most important player

The Sixers host a slate of incredibly entertaining games each month, and with playoffs in reach I’d expect a sell-out in nearly every game. The fun will be at a peak, and the basketball will be at its best.

Sixers “must-see” home games for each month

By George Kondoleon | Aug 14, 2017