5 things to watch on the NBA’s MLK Day slate
By Morgan Dunn
Martin Luther King Jr. Day offers NBA fans the chance to enjoy some excellent matchups with intriguing implications.
Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a national holiday that honors the great civil rights activist. Held annually on the third Monday in January, MLK Day marks the birthday of this American luminary, and 2018 will see the holiday fall on King’s exact birthday (Jan. 15).
Quite a few American people receive the day off of work on MLK day, which allows NBA fans to enjoy an exciting slate of basketball games. This year’s MLK games look particularly enticing, rife with marquee matchups, returns to arenas once called home, and more.
Here are five things to watch on the NBA’s MLK Day slate:
5. A big test for the young Sixers
It comes as no surprise to find that a team as young as the Philadelphia 76ers is experiencing its ups and downs this season. Both Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid have been spectacular this year, but young teams have a very little history of success in the NBA. The Sixers started the 2017-18 season hot but have since cooled significantly, losing nine times in a 10-game stretch in December. They’ve recently rebounded from that swoon, even beating the San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 3, and the playoffs don’t seem like an impossible goal for this group.
Philadelphia will face a tough test on MLK Day when they host the Toronto Raptors. Unlike the Sixers, the Raptors came out of the gates a bit slowly this season but have significantly ramped things up since then. Toronto’s recent surge has allowed them to ascend to the second spot in the Eastern Conference standings, and one could argue that they’ve been the best team in the East over the course of the last month.
If Philadelphia wants to be taken seriously, this is the kind of game that they have to win. Luckily for them, the matchup will take place at the Wells Fargo Center. Toronto has been nearly unbeatable at home this season, and while they’ve still been good on the road, they seem significantly more vulnerable when playing in the states.
These two teams squared off last month when Toronto visited the City of Brotherly Love, and the Sixers looked like the better team throughout the first half of that matchup. However, experience (and 45 points from DeMar DeRozan) ended up winning the day after a thrilling Toronto comeback. It was a lesson for this young Philadelphia team, and they’ll have the chance to show they’ve learned from it on Monday.