Sixers kick off NBA Cup Tournament with matchup against Knicks

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 20: LeBron James #23 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket during the game against the New York Knicks on October 20, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

The Philadelphia 76ers are 4-1, coming off a solid win against the shorthanded Indiana Pacers. They’ll kick off a back-to-back against two strong teams in the deep Eastern Conference, hosting the New York Knicks before traveling to Charlotte for the second half of their back-to-back.

This will be the second time in the young regular season that they face off against the Knicks, the team that swept them in the NBA playoffs. The Sixers won the season-opening matchup against the reigning champs, 106-100. Since their last matchup, the Knicks have had a semi-turbulent start to the season. They started the year 0-3, with several subplots worth monitoring. Extension talks have stalled with two of their key players, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns, resulting in the Knicks “tabling” extension talks via a PR statement. Mikal Bridges has also struggled mightily, averaging 5.0 points per game on 27% shooting on the year. Their star, Jalen Brunson, has begun finding his groove, but he’s had to carry a heavy load amid their struggles and the off-the-court noise.

The Sixers, on the other hand, have mostly been good. Their only loss came against the Detroit Pistons, who, albeit shorthanded, are a capable team with a legit star. Much like the Indiana game, the subplot to watch with the Sixers has been their offense. It’s come and gone in spurts. The Sixers have had decent success in the half court, but they’ll need to lean on their defense yet again to generate some easy transition baskets.

Despite the flashes, the Sixers’ offense is best labeled as a work in progress. LeBron James has yet to really light it up in the scoring category. Their stars are still figuring out when to be aggressive and when to defer, but there have been glimpses of hope. Jaylen Brown is averaging 20.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists on good efficiency. He, in particular, is important in this Knicks matchup, as they have no shortage of wings to throw at him and James.

This matchup will also be another iteration of Towns vs. Embiid, the latter of whom is coming off two strong showings that saw him record a double-double and a triple-double. Heading into this game, Brown is listed as questionable with knee soreness. Jabari Walker, Tacko Fall and Dominick Barlow remain out.

Despite it not being November, this game does have some extra juice behind it, and no, I’m not talking about the Cup tournament with the ugly court. If the Sixers were to win this game, they’d guarantee no worse than a season-series tie against their division rivals, which means any potential tiebreaker could come down to division standing at the end of the year. We’re months away from hawk-watching the standings and playoff seeding, but this matchup could prove important when we get to that point.

And for those who don’t mind the highlighter courts and/or the NBA Cup, there is that, although the Sixers’ group for the NBA Cup is best described as a gauntlet: New York, Cleveland, Indiana and Miami. Miami’s struggles aside, that’s a tough group to go up against regardless of the raised stakes.

There’s very little margin for error with the NBA Cup, so we’ll soon know whether the Sixers are serious about it or if we experience more of the same from prior years: fizzling out. Let’s see what happens in what’s slated to be an intriguing late-October matchup.

When: Friday, October 30, 7:30 pm ET
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: Prime Video
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow:@LibertyBallers