October 5, 2026 · By The Sports Nus Staff · 3 min read
Seven 76ers will sit out Monday's preseason opener against the New York Knicks, and the list reads like the top of the roster. LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Anfernee Simons, Dominick Barlow, Adem Bona and Tacko Fall are all sidelined for the first exhibition.
Of the five projected starters for the season ahead, only Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe will be available against New York.
It is a sharp reversal from Saturday. After playing in front of Philadelphia fans for the first time at the Blue x White Scrimmage, James said he wanted on-court work in the preseason without pushing the envelope too much. "It'd be good to get out there with some of our guys to just get a rhythm," he said.
via PhillyVoice
Head coach Nick Nurse said the team will confer with its key players before making decisions about preseason usage. "We certainly want them to get out there and play," Nurse said. "I think they'll all get out there, and I would say, kind of like we've done in the past, the guys that are available would play a bit in the first half."
via PhillyVoice
The opener, in context
- Monday, 7 PM ET: the 76ers host the Knicks at Xfinity Mobile Arena to open the preseason for both teams.
- Four preseason games, then the real thing: the regular season opens October 20 at Madison Square Garden against the defending-champion Knicks on ring night.
- Saturday's Blue x White scrimmage drew more than 10,000 fans to Xfinity Mobile Arena. Nurse gave the squad Sunday off.
- The new core: James, Embiid, Maxey, Brown and Edgecombe under head coach Nick Nurse.
The betting angle
Preseason scratches are noise for bettors, and this is exactly why. Philadelphia opened around +850 to win the title, a number built on star math, not health math. Tonight changes nothing about that price. A 41-year-old in year 24 sitting out an exhibition in October is load management, not a signal. The value question is the same one it was at media day: can a core this old and this new stay healthy and gel by April? If you believe the answer is yes, +850 is interesting. If you do not, it is a pass either way. Let the public chase the preseason box scores and take your stance when the real games start.