Week Ahead: The Celtics Rematch, Then the Opener That Counts

By the 76ers Nightly Desk · Friday, October 16

The Sixers host Boston tonight in their preseason finale, four days before the regular-season opener at the Knicks. Nick Nurse's group is 1-2 in exhibition play, and Ariel Hukporti is already done for the year while eight other names carry a questionable tag.

76ers Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

What's actually on the schedule this week?

Four games, one that doesn't count yet. The Sixers host Boston tonight on NBA TV, still preseason. Then it's real: October 20 at the Knicks on NBC/Peacock opens the regular season, October 22 at home against the Cavaliers on ESPN, and October 24 against the Bucks on NBA TV closes the week.

Why bother with a preseason rematch against the team that just hung 144 on you?

Because the schedule still favors the home team. Boston enters on one day of rest, its second game in the last seven days, though it's not technically a back-to-back. Philadelphia, by contrast, is coming off five days of rest and only one game in the past week. If this group can't compete with that cushion, the October 10 loss wasn't a fluke.

Who's actually out, and who's just banged up?

One real absence: Ariel Hukporti, ruled out for a right Achilles injury with no return pegged before next October. Everyone else carries a questionable tag — Barlow (back), Simons (hamstring), Bona (foot), Fall (hip), plus a rest-related group covering Embiid, Brown, James, Caldwell-Pope. None of the rest tags carry more detail than that.

Does this Boston team look like last year's 56-win squad?

On paper, yes — a 56-26 team with a net rating of +8.3 last season. But Jayson Tatum played just 16 games in that stretch, so how much of that carries over is unclear. Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Neemias Queta all played 76 games or more and are the engine until Tatum and Paul George are fully back.

What's the one game this week that actually matters?

October 20 at the Knicks is the one that counts — the regular-season opener, four days after tonight's preseason finale. Everything before it is exhibition; a 1-2 preseason record means nothing once that game tips off. Cleveland on ESPN and Milwaukee on NBA TV follow within the same week.

The verdictTonight's rematch with Boston is film study, not a statement — Boston is rested, Philadelphia isn't, and the preseason record won't follow anyone into next week. The game that actually counts starts October 20 at the Knicks.

When do the 76ers play their next game after facing the Celtics?

October 20 at the Knicks, which doubles as the regular-season opener.

Is Ariel Hukporti playing against the Celtics tonight?

No — he's ruled out for a right Achilles injury, with no return targeted before next October.

By the 76ers Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.