Philadelphia 76ers: 5 matchups to watch from first half of 2020-21 schedule

4. Sixers matchups to watch: Nets, Jan. 7

The Sixers will get their first look at the Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving duo in January. Brooklyn is both a division rival and one of Philadelphia’s chief competitors in the Eastern Conference. If Philadelphia wants to win a championship, there’s a good chance the path runs through Brooklyn at some point.

We don’t know how good Durant will look coming off an Achilles injury, but he’s a sweet-shooting 7-footer who, even at 75 percent capacity, can outgun just about any star in the Eastern Conference. Even a slightly subdued Durant will put Brooklyn squarely in contention.

The Nets are a tricky matchup for Philadelphia. While Embiid can have his way with Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan, Brooklyn’s deluge of perimeter scorers has been perpetually problematic in the past. Without Josh Richardson, there aren’t too many ideal answers for Kyrie, not to mention Caris LeVert and Spencer Dinwiddie.

How quickly the Nets gel will be one of the 2021 season’s biggest storylines. We haven’t seen Kevin Durant play basketball in over a year, and Brooklyn is still in the market for a potential third superstar a la James Harden. In fact, Brooklyn and Philadelphia are largely considered the two most feasible destinations in a potential Harden trade.