Philadelphia 76ers Face Knicks in NBA Cup Title Defense
The Philadelphia 76ers will face the New York Knicks in their NBA Cup title defense, with the teams set to meet on October 30 in Philadelphia. The Knicks will also host the 76ers on October 20 in their season opener, when they will receive their NBA championship rings before LeBron James plays his first game since signing with the 76ers last month.
The NBA revealed the schedule for opening night and Christmas on Tuesday, and along with the NBA Cup schedule on Wednesday also announced the national TV schedules for games on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents Day. It will release the entire 2026-27 schedule on Thursday at 3 p.m. EDT.
What happened?
The Knicks will travel to Philadelphia to face the 76ers on October 30 on the opening night of NBA Cup games, the league announced Wednesday. The teams already are scheduled to meet in the October 20 season opener at Madison Square Garden, when the Knicks will get their NBA championship rings before James plays his first game since signing with the 76ers last month.
Why it matters for Philadelphia 76ers
This is the fourth season of the NBA Cup, the league’s in-season tournament. Games in the group stage will be played October 30, November 6, November 13, November 20, November 24, November 25, and November 27, when the Knicks will host Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Miami Heat.
What comes next?
The Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs in the title game last year, then became the first NBA Cup champions to refuse to hang a banner to acknowledge the achievement. They will hang the banner they really wanted - their first since 1973 - on opening night after beating the Spurs again for the NBA championship in June.
The Knicks-76ers matchup in East Group B will open a Prime Video doubleheader, followed by the Lakers at Golden State in West Group C. Quarterfinal play will be December 4 and 5, with the semifinals on December 8 and/or December 9, all at team sites. The championship game will be December 11 at Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the first time it has been staged outside Las Vegas.
Holiday Hoops
The two holiday schedules revealed Wednesday, both to be televised as NBC Sports quadruple-headers, were highlighted by LaMelo Ball’s return to Charlotte on February 15. The Hornets traded their point guard to Minnesota in the offseason.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 18) games: Detroit at Cleveland, Philadelphia at Atlanta, Minnesota at New York, and Houston at Memphis.
The Presidents Day (February 15) games: Minnesota at Charlotte, Philadelphia at Dallas, San Antonio at Miami, and Indiana at Golden State.
Going global
San Antonio and New Orleans will play two games in Europe in January. Victor Wembanyama returns to France for the Paris game on January 14, and the teams will meet again January 17 in Manchester, England.
Last result: Philadelphia 76ers 114-144 New York Knicks (2026-05-10).
The Philadelphia 76ers have lost the last 5 games, with a recent form record of 0W-0D-5L (LLLLL, most recent first).
