6 Can’t Miss 76ers Games for 2017-18

Sixers fans excited to [finally] see some competitive basketball will want to catch all 82, but if you can only take in six Sixers games in the 2017-18 NBA season make it these six.

1. Wednesday, October 18 at Washington Wizards

Knock on all the wood, but if things go smoothly throughout training camp and the preseason, the season opener against the Wizards in Washington on October 18 will be the first time that we see Markelle Fultz, Ben Simmons, and Joel Embiid out on the floor together for a regular season game.

2. Saturday, November 11 at Golden State Warriors

After dominating their way to a second title in three seasons in June, the Warriors have clearly established themselves as the class of the NBA. In short, they are the measuring stick for all of the other team’s across the league’s landscape. As the defending champions, the Warriors currently are where the Sixers hope to be one day, and the match-up between the two teams will serve as a solid test for the young Sixers squad.

3. Wednesday, November 15 at Los Angeles Lakers

It will be number one versus number two when Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball go head-to-head in this mid-November match-up. As two teams in similar situations – young teams with talent looking to climb back to contention – in different conferences, it will be interesting to see how the Sixers and Lakers stack up against each other on the floor.

4. Monday, November 27 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Ben Simmons has been compared to LeBron James. He is friends with LeBron James. He works out with LeBron James. He is repped by LeBron’s people. If he turns out to be anywhere near as good as LeBron, the Sixers will be very fortunate. It will be cool to watch the two go head-to-head for the first time.

5. Saturday, March 24 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

Watching two of the league’s best young big men in Joel Embiid and Karl Anthony-Towns go head-to-head is enough of a reason to watch this one, but it’s not the only reason. As two up-and-coming franchises with lofty expectations for the future, the Sixers and Wolves have had their respective rebuilds compared and contrasted over the past several seasons, and the comparisons will continue as the teams begin to climb back to contention. It will be interesting to see how the two teams fare against each other at this late point in the season.

6. Wednesday, Aprill 11 vs. Milwaukee Bucks

It’s fitting that the last game of the regular season is against a team that could potentially challenge the Sixers for Eastern Conference supremacy down the road. The possibility of a playoff spot/seeding being on the line in this one makes it especially enticing.

Follow Michael Kaskey-Blomain on Twitter @therealmikekb.