Sixers press release:

The Philadelphia 76ers will play on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 2017, at 12 p.m. at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks.

The Sixers and Knicks will meet on Christmas for the twelfth time, with Philadelphia having won six of the first 11 matchups. The two teams have split the previous six meetings at MSG.

The Christmas Day game will be the 30th in Sixers/Nationals franchise history and the first since Dec. 25, 2001 when Philadelphia took on the Los Angeles Lakers at STAPLES Center. In a six-point loss, Hall of Famer Allen Iverson scored 31 points, collected eight rebounds and handed out four assists.

All told, the Sixers hold a 16-13 record over 29 Christmas Day games.

The NBA also announced that the 76ers will open the regular season on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at Washington in a nationally-televised game.

OPEN THOSE PRESENTS EARLY, BABY!

Side note: The fact that the Sixers have played 29 Christmas games but not one since 2001 tells you just how dreadful they’ve been for the last two decades.