It is 7:00 PM EDT at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, and both the Knicks and the Sixers are sitting on identical 0-0 sheets, which means nobody has a statistical bone to pick yet. This is a preseason tune-up where the only thing lining up is the anxiety of a new season, not any meaningful trend. If you are looking for a defensible reason to bet this, you are holding your breath too long; the board is empty until the first whistle blows.
The frontcourt is a ghost town, with Drew Eubanks still processing surgery on the Knicks side and Tacko Fall and Adem Bona both marked GTD in Philadelphia. With points-against ratings sitting at a meaningless 0.0 for both squads, the defense is a mystery wrapped in a jersey. It’s a clean slate that lets the role players scramble for minutes before the stars start deciding who gets the first drop. Tell us where you think the rust breaks first, or just log in to StreakChat and settle the debate with a pick.