The Philadelphia 76ers will embrace a challenge that extends from the final days of 2025 into the new year, one that could serve as a barometer of who they truly are.
Philadelphia will embark on a five-game road swing, starting against the Chicago Bulls at 7:30 p.m. EST. This stretch will be the longest that the 76ers have ventured away from Xfinity Mobile Arena so far this season. Four of Philadelphia’s next five opponents hold top-ten seeds in their respective conferences, testing its resilience and offering an opportunity to see how it compares to playoff-caliber teams.
Here’s an outlook of each matchup:
The 76ers (16-12) will rematch the Bulls (14-15) at the United Center after falling to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Chicago is entering tonight on a four-game win streak, eclipsing 125 points in each victory. Philadelphia limited the Bulls to 113 in its two-point loss on November 4th, their first meeting of the season.
However, the 76ers were without Paul George and Dominick Barlow, something that may change tonight. Barlow, VJ Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes are all available, dealing with an illness that sidelined them in Philadelphia’s last contest. Embiid (injury management) remains questionable while Kelly Oubre Jr. (knee) and Trendon Watford (adductor) are out, however.
Despite Chicago’s scoring efforts, it allows the third-most points per game in the NBA, giving the 76ers the chance to reignite their offense and return to form.
From there, Philadelphia will travel to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder (26-5) on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. EST. While Oklahoma City has yet to exorcise its San Antonio Spurs demons, it still holds the best league-wide record and retains its reigning champion status. This will be the 76ers’ toughest challenge yet as the Thunder rank top-two in points scored and allowed per game, supercharged by the effort of Shai-Gilgeous Alexander–the NBA’s second-leading scorer.
Philadelphia will then head eastward to face the Memphis Grizzlies (14-16) on December 30th at 8 p.m. EST. Memphis has been banged up lately, missing at least six players in its last four games, including Ja Morant and Zach Edey. The Grizzlies could give the 76ers trouble off the glass, ranking third in the NBA in rebounds per game with 46.2. But, this could be an easier road win for Philadelphia if Memphis stays injured.
The 76ers will commence 2026 by visiting the Dallas Mavericks (12-20) on January 1st at 8:30 p.m. EST. These teams met in Philadelphia’s 121-114 victory on December 20th, but the circumstances may differ this time. Anthony Davis (groin) will miss a few games while the 76ers were deprived of Joel Embiid and Paul George in their last encounter. Dallas, which holds a top-10 defensive rating, could be problematic, but this is shaping up to be Philadelphia’s least challenging road game.
The 76ers will return to the East Coast to battle the New York Knicks (21-9) on January 3rd at 7:30 p.m. EST to conclude their getaway. When Philadelphia last walked in Madison Square Garden on December 19th it defeated New York 116-107. In the last few years, fans have grown accustomed to a classic match when these teams square up. This has the makings of another intense contest with Tyrese Maxey facing Jalen Brunson, Embiid possibly debuting in MSG, and Edgecombe striving to steal the show once more.
While these five games won’t make or break Philadelphia’s season, this road trip will test its endurance in the most challenging of matchups. Health is no guarantee for the 76ers, who have been deprived of Oubre and Watford for 15 and 10 games, respectively. Embiid and George could also receive load management, a development that has occurred throughout the season.