CAMDEN, N.J. — Game 6 between the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks is the latest stop on what has been an exhilarating ride of a series. But it will have a different feel to it since tip-off is scheduled for 9:00 PM EST.

Games starting at 9:00 local time are extremely atypical for a series between teams in the same time zone. Since the only other game being played on Thursday, May 2 is Game 6 between the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers, the NBA schedule makers decided to make the overlap between games as minimal as possible.

Even though the Bucks reside in the Central Time Zone, the Pacers' home city belongs to the Eastern Time Zonze along with Philadelphia and New York. Game 6 being in Indianapolis probably plays a factor in the league preferring to keep the game at a time suited for the Eastern Daylight Time. As frustrating as the situation is for Sixers-Knicks spectators, the show must go on.

The Sixers typically hold their pregame shootaround sometime around 10:30 in the morning but bumped it up an hour for Game 6. They also held it at their practice facility across the river in New Jersey rather than getting shots up at their arena.

76ers head coach Nick Nurse isn’t too worried about when the game is going to begin. His focus, as it has been all series, is on how his team will perform against a Knicks team that has given them a heck of a fight.

“I love it. We love it,” Nurse said on Wednesday of the late start time. “We’ve had a lot of those in the playoffs. I love ‘em.”

Reserve guard Cam Payne said he wasn’t sure how the later start will impact the game. He obviously hopes that the home team is less impacted by it.

“Hopefully, it helps us more,” he said. “We're in our beds and they’re in a hotel, so the late start, hopefully it helps us. But this is my first time playing this late. I don't know. Energy should be better. You get to rest all day. So, hopefully, the energy is better. I don't know. It should be a different kind of game. It's primetime so hopefully we're ready to play.”

Payne was asked if he takes pregame naps but said that he’s not always one to go that route. If there ever was a game to consider it, it's this one.

“Sometimes I take my nap, I don't get the same energy as I had when I woke up this morning,” Payne said. “So, no matter what, I'm gonna have a coffee tonight.”

The energy at the Wells Fargo Center should be higher after Knicks fans outshined Sixers fans in the two previous Philly games in this series. The team is making more efforts to get the arena filled with home fans and keep New York fans out.

The 76ers trail the Knicks 3-2 and recaptured momentum in Game 5 thanks to an incredible late-game sequence from Tyrese Maxey. Even if they’re going to start the game later, Philly is preparing to play its best basketball of the season.

“The ball goes up a little after 9:00 and we start playing,” Nurse said.