Philadelphia 76ers to play on Christmas Day for first time since 2001

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Philadelphia 76ers will play on Christmas Day for the first time since 2001, the team announced Thursday.

They will play against the New York Knicks at 12 p.m. at Madison Square Garden.

The game will be nationally-televised on our sister station ESPN.

The Sixers and Knicks will meet on Christmas for the 12th time, with Philadelphia having won six of the first 11 matchups. The two teams have split the previous six meetings at MSG.

The Christmas Day game will be the 30th in Sixers franchise history and the first since Dec. 25, 2001, when Philadelphia took on the Los Angeles Lakers at the STAPLES Center.

In a six-point loss, Hall of Famer Allen Iverson scored 31 points, collected eight rebounds and handed out four assists.

In all, the Sixers hold a 16-13 record over 29 Christmas Day games.

The 76ers are not the only Philly team to play on Christmas Day. The Eagles will meet the Oakland Raiders on Monday Night Football, also on ESPN.

The NBA also announced that the Sixers will open the regular season on Wednesday, October 18 in Washington at the Capital One Arena.

Earlier in the day, it was announced the Sixers will play the NBA London Game on January 11 against the Boston Celtics.

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