Philadelphia 76ers Rumored to be Playing at Home on Christmas

The 2019-2020 NBA Schedule is not out yet, but the leaks are already beginning to come in. Apparently, word around the league is that the Philadelphia 76ers will once again play on Christmas day, as they did for the past couple of years. It all started off two seasons ago when the Sixers were emerging as one of the more intriguing teams in Eastern Conference. With the arrival of Ben Simmons and re-introduction of a healthy Joel Embiid, the Sixers were quickly becoming a hot commodity.

So they participated in their first Christmas game on the road at Madison Square Garden. The red-hot Sixers impressed on the holiday as they took home the victory, but the following season didn't have the same outcome for Philly. In 2018, the Sixers got a playoff rematch against their rivals, the Boston Celtics. And unlike the matchup in 2017, the Sixers versus Celtics game was played at night in Boston.

The Sixers couldn't emulate the same Christmas day success against the Celtics as they lost in overtime. Although the matchup was intense, the outcome was ultimately disappointing for the Sixers as they continued to struggle against the Celtics. Win or lose though; the last two matchups have apparently proved something to the NBA -- Philly likes cheering on their Sixers on Christmas day. Therefore, they not only get to play on Christmas for the third year in a row -- but they get to host it this time around!

According to Jon Johnson, the Sixers will host a mystery team at the Wells Fargo Center on Christmas. Being that the NBA's 2018-2019 season is currently still playing out, the full details on next seasons big matchup has yet to surface. So the timing of the game and the opponent will most likely remain unknown for quite a while now. Considering the recent history of Sixers versus Celtics games though, we could make an assumption that Boston might just be the opponent. But don't rule out other teams such as the Knicks, Lakers, Rockets, or even the Nets at this point either.

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