The Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks are set to kick off the NBA's slate of Christmas games. The two teams have faced off 12 times, more than any other two teams, but haven't seen each other too much on Xmas in recent years. The Sixers have won seven of those games and will look to make it eight games.

Doc Rivers and Tom Thibodeau got the festivities started with some nice banter, though it was said through each coach's pregame press conference. In response to Thibodeau saying that Rivers must be “thrilled” about the Sixers' recent winning streak not getting a huge amount of attention, Rivers gleefully responded with the following, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN: “What does Thibs know about being thrilled?”

Thibodeau has always been known as a super serious person who always seems to be angry. Rivers, though, is just making a lighthearted joke about his friend. The two have known each other for a long time and have spent time coaching together.

The Sixers and Knicks faced off in November, with New York coming out on top in a narrow victory. But now, they will have to face Joel Embiid, who missed that matchup. The NBA's scoring leader will look to put on a show in New York City on Christmas, a stage fit for a player as talented as he is.

To kick off a five-game slate of NBA Christmas games, the Sixers and Knicks will look to keep up their recent run of success and defeat their division rival.