One Preseason Game, Then the Opener That Actually Counts

By the 76ers Nightly Desk · Tuesday, October 13

Philadelphia closes the preseason Friday at home against Boston, then opens the real season October 20 at Madison Square Garden. Nine players carry injury tags into that stretch, and one of them, Ariel Hukporti, won't be back for a year.

76ers Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Does Friday's rematch with Boston mean anything?

Not for the standings. It's the preseason finale, the fourth exhibition after a 120-97 win over the Knicks and losses at Brooklyn and at Boston, the second by 38 points. Nurse gets one more look before games count, but a loss here changes nothing. The number that matters is nine, the players carrying injury tags into it.

What actually hangs on October 20 at Madison Square Garden?

Everything. The regular season opens there on NBC/Peacock, two years after New York ended Philadelphia's season in the 2024 playoffs. It's the first game with a result that counts toward a record that has sat at 0-0 through the entire preseason. Whatever Nurse learns from three exhibitions gets tested against the team that still owns this matchup.

How many players are actually banged up this week?

Nine are tagged. Ariel Hukporti is Out with an Achilles injury on his right leg and isn't projected back until October 2027. The other eight, Barlow, Brown, Bona, Simons, Embiid, Fall, James and Caldwell-Pope, are all expected to be available by October 16, the same date as the Celtics game.

Is Friday actually a deadline for those eight?

Functionally, yes. Every one of those eight short-term tags points to October 16 as the target, which turns Friday's game against Boston into a readiness test before Philadelphia has to answer for real six days later in New York. Hukporti is the exception; his Achilles timeline runs into next October, not this week.

Is the schedule itself kind to Philadelphia this week?

Yes. Two games, four days apart, no back-to-back and no travel beyond the trip to Boston already finished and a short hop to New York. The light slate gives a banged-up roster time to actually use the October 16 clearance window before the opener matters.

The verdictFriday's game won't move anything; October 20 at the Knicks will, and it lands on a date when at least eight questionable players are supposed to be cleared to help answer it.

When do the 76ers play their regular-season opener?

October 20 at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks, broadcast on NBC/Peacock.

Is Ariel Hukporti expected back this week?

No. He's Out with an Achilles injury on his right leg and isn't projected to return until October 2027.