Following an impressive win over the Chicago Bulls last Monday, the Philadelphia 76ers have arguably their most anticipated matchup of the season coming up on Thursday. They will be hosting Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets in a nationally televised matchup. This will be the first time the two teams will square off following the mega-deal that went down in the final hours of the trade deadline.

As expected, emotions will be running high at Wells Fargo Center. While Ben Simmons will not be taking the floor for the Nets due to a back injury, he is expected to be on the bench. Given their track record, it's fair to assume that Sixers fans will not be giving the three-time All-Star a warm welcome. Even coach Doc Rivers agreed while sounding off on a possible video tribute for Simmons.

There will likely be some tension from the Nets' side as well. The team pushed all-in last season after acquiring Harden. But the expected results did not pan out. Given the nature of how things unfolded for Brooklyn this season, the unique reunion of Harden, Durant, and Kyrie Irving is surely something to keep an eye on.

When asked about his thoughts of going up against his former team, Harden said it will be no different than any other game.

“I'm not nervous. This is basketball. I put the work in to go out there and just play my game and live with the results. Honestly, every game is a big game for us. We're fairly new and have championship aspirations, so every game is a learning process for us. No matter who we are playing,” said Harden.

Throughout Simmons' tenure with the Sixers, star center Joel Embiid always spoke highly of his All-Star running mate. Even when the situation got uncomfortable earlier this season, he did all he could to try and get Simmons back with the team. That being said, there appears to be no love lost from Embiid. Similar to Harden, the MVP candidate is not buying into any added hype for the meeting with the Nets.

“It's just a regular matchup. The season series is 2-1, so we need to win this game. It's a regular matchup for me, regular season game. So we just got to come in with the same mindset that we've had,” said Embiid.

After conducting themselves in a professional manner during the entirety of the Simmons saga, it's doubtful the Sixers are distracted mentally for this matchup. They always kept the focus on basketball, and nothing should change when they take the floor against the skidding Nets.

Thursday's contest has the chance to be a good test for the new-look Sixers as they prepare for the NBA Playoffs. Not only will they be facing off against players like Durant and Irving, but the atmosphere in the building will surely be playoff-like.

There is going to be no shortage of drama, but Embiid, Harden, and the rest of the Sixers appear unfazed by the storylines surrounding the game. They have no intentions of harping over what happened in the past and remain zeroed in on preparing for what they hope to be a deep postseason run.