Nick Nurse, Sixers discuss the honor of playing on Christmas Day
CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers are preparing to begin a 4-game road trip with a big Christmas Day matchup against the Miami Heat down in South Florida.
Playing on Christmas is an honor for NBA teams. The Sixers are playing on the holiday for the second consecutive year after facing the New York Knicks on Christmas Day 2022.
The best of the best play on the holiday, and for coach Nick Nurse this will be his second time coaching on Christmas. His Toronto Raptors fell to the Boston Celtics in 2019.
“It’s one of those things that you look at from a standpoint of yeah, you’re honored,” said Nurse. “You’re honored to be working on Christmas or part of the fabric of entertainment or whatever it is you want to look at. I look at it totally as an honor to be able to do it. I think that most teams, and our team especially, do a great job of still letting our families be included and all that kind of stuff. So yeah, I view it as a special thing.”
Christmas is a time of family and coming together to celebrate one another. Nurse and the Sixers will have their families with them when they head to Florida and that makes playing on the holiday that much more special for this group.
“Of course,” Melton said of the Christmas Day festivities of the NBA. “I mean, you got to. As a kid, waking up and seeing sports on TV is always a blessing. So now you one of those. Now you can see your friends, family, and a lot of people wake up and watch you.”
As the Sixers get set to take on the Heat, they know the challenges that will await them in Miami, but they also understand that playing on Christmas is a sign that you’re a pretty good team.
“It’s one of the best times,” added Robert Covington. “Only a select amount of teams get to. I think this might be my second time. In the 11 years I’ve been in the league, this is only my second time. It’s always a great experience. Of course, being with family and everything is important, but there’s nothing like seeing your family see you doing your job and what you love. On top of that, you get to have them there with you so it’s nothing like that.”
Tip off from the Kaseya Center is set for 8 p.m. EST on Christmas.
