Four All-Stars. One jersey. Zero minutes together as a group. That changes at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Monday night, when head coach Nick Nurse’s rebuilt Philadelphia roster plays its first game of the preseason against the defending-champion Knicks. Tip-off is scheduled for 7pm local time.
The game is Philadelphia’s local broadcast on NBC Sports Philadelphia with national coverage on NBA TV. It also carries on 97.5 The Fanatic on radio, per the Sixers’ preseason schedule.
How much of the headline quartet actually plays is the first live question of the season. Nurse has signalled he wants his available veterans on the floor to open the night.
“We certainly want them to get out there and play. I think they’ll all get out there, and I would say, kind of like we’ve done in the past, the guys that are available would play a bit in the first half,” Nurse told reporters, with the back half reserved for the rest of the roster.
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Nurse’s plan: James as a point forward
Nurse has spent camp talking about using James as a creator for the group around him rather than a volume scorer. He described a flexible scheme built around multiple ball-handlers.
“We got several guys that what I would call ‘grab-and-go,’” Nurse said on October 2, adding that he considers James “a great offense creator” and the “first pass anyway to [him on] the wing.”
Jaylen Brown, acquired from Boston over the summer in the trade that sent Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks the other way, has used camp to lean into chemistry. The small forward has credited Maxey for easing the transition, calling him “a great leader” and “a great host,” and framing the early weeks as the group simply getting used to each other.
“We’re all normal human beings, spending time with each other and just enjoying each other’s presence,” Brown said.
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James looked sharp at the open scrimmage
The first public look at the group came two nights ago. Nearly 10,000 fans paid $10 a ticket to watch the Sixers’ open scrimmage on Saturday, October 3, the NBA reported.
James is wearing No. 9 in Philadelphia. His familiar No. 6 is retired by the franchise for Julius Erving, so he picked a new number. At the scrimmage he caught an alley-oop lob from Maxey, drilled a shot from more than 30 feet, and sent a behind-the-back pass to second-year guard VJ Edgecombe. Embiid finished a left-handed driving dunk on the same night.
“It was a great first step in a direction we’re trying to go. It was great to hear some cheers from our fans,” James said after the scrimmage.
“Everybody’s been super welcoming. I’ve been able to implement some things with my voice and just my command of how I play the game.”
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The Knicks arrive wearing the rings
New York swept Philadelphia 4-0 in last spring’s Eastern Conference semi-finals on the way to the championship, and the Knicks’ core, including Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, is intact.
Embiid has been a full participant through camp and the Sixers have not ruled him out of the opener, though neither team has posted a formal availability report.
The second preseason game follows on Thursday, when Philadelphia visits the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Sources: – [LeBron James heads back East, signs deal with 76ers](https://www.nba.com/news/lebron-james-free-agency-sixers-2026) – [Sixers pick up All-Star Jaylen Brown from Celtics](https://www.nba.com/news/reports-sixers-to-acquire-jaylen-brown-from-celtics) – [Celtics trade Jaylen Brown to Sixers for Paul George and picks: Report](https://www.nbcsportsboston.com/nba/boston-celtics/jaylen-brown-traded-76ers-paul-george/792466/) – [Recap: Knicks win the 2026 NBA championship](https://www.nba.com/news/live-updates-2026-nba-finals-game-5-knicks-seek-first-title-since-1973) – [Knicks sweep 76ers in East Semifinals](https://www.nba.com/news/knicks-76ers-2026-playoffs-game-4-takeaways) – [LeBron James at 76ers Open Scrimmage](https://www.nba.com/news/lebron-james-76ers-open-scrimmage)
