76ers Scheduled For Christmas Day Game vs. Bucks

Mark you calendars, Philadelphia 76ers fans. For the third season in a row, the Sixers will get a matchup on Christmas day. Unlike the last two seasons though, the Sixers will be the team to stay home, rather than travel elsewhere. Rumors about the potential hosting on Christmas day started swirling a couple of months ago, but no opponent, time, nor an official confirmation would be made.

As of Friday though, sources confirm that it is official -- the Sixers will host their Eastern Conference enemies the Milwaukee Bucks on Christmas day at the Wells Fargo Center. ESPN's NBA Reporter Malika Andrews took to Twitter to confirm the early reports on Friday. Now, Sixers fans from all over are excited that the not only will the Sixers play on Christmas once again -- but this time it's going to be in South Philly.

Last season, the Sixers and the Bucks were amongst some of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks ended up taking control of the East, notching the first seed in the playoffs, while the Sixers trailed two spots landing in the third seed. While the Bucks and the Sixers had some competitive matchups in 2018, Milwaukee ended up defeating Philadelphia twice in three meetings.

Next season, the rivals will wipe the slate clean as the Sixers look to get even. With the Toronto Raptors suffering a significant loss without Kawhi Leonard in 2019, it is assumed the Sixers and the Bucks take over as the consensus top two teams in the Eastern Conference. The hype behind both teams will surely make an exciting battle on Christmas day this season in South Philly.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for South Jersey's 97.3 ESPN. You can follow Justin on Twitter: @JGrasso_