Darren and Vic's Takes: Week Nine Preview

Published: Friday, December 19, 2025

by Darren Worrell and Victor Lisboa

The NBA Cup has wrapped up, and the New York Knicks are the champions. With week eight coming to an end, the NBA is officially entering Week 9, so Vic and I are back to preview the games that we believe will be the biggest matchups this week.

Darren: Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks

The Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks are set to face off on December 19th, at the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, at 7 p.m.

Looking at the Philadelphia 76ers, they sit right in the middle of the pack in 6th place with a 14-11 record. In their last two games, they were without star point guard Tyrese Maxey due to an illness, but is set to return for this matchup.

Tyrese Maxey leads the team in scoring, assists, and steals with 31.5 points per game, 7.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game as well. Not including Joel Embiid, eight other players are averaging at least seven points per game, which shows that anyone has the ability to have a big scoring night.

Turning to the Knicks, what more can you say about them? They are one of the bests teams in the league and have been performing at a high level this season. The Knicks currently hold the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 19-7, just 2 games behind the Detroit Pistons.

They enter this game after picking up the tough win against the Indiana Pacers, 114-113. However, the highlight of last week was the Knicks winning the NBA Cup Championship against the San Antonio Spurs, a game in which they trailed for most of the night but somehow found a way to win. They were led by NBA Cup Most Valuable Player, Jalen Brunson, who scored 25 points.

The Knicks also have a deep roster as well. Jalen Brunson leads the team in scoring and assists with 28.8 points per game and 6.4 assists per game. Besides him, eight other players score at least nine points per game, so the team can get their scoring from anyone on any given night.

The Knicks have all the momentum in this one, but the 76ers have the pieces to pull off a win.

Victor: Houston Rockets vs. Denver Nuggets

There is an argument to be made that these may be the two best teams in the West behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Denver Nuggets are currently the 2nd seed in the west at 20-6, and are 4.5 games behind OKC for first place. The Houston Rockets hold the 5th seed at 16-8, 3 games behind Denver. 

The Nuggets currently have the best offense in the league averaging 125.6 points a contest. They sit in the middle of the pack on defense, allowing 116.2 points a game. It should be to nobody's surprise that the 3-time MVP Nikola Jokić, is making a great case to earn his fourth. The 30-year old, 7x all-star and 2023 Finals MVP is having yet another historic season averaging a triple-double among points, rebounds & assists. 

He is currently averaging 10.8 assists per game, which is best in the league. If he finishes the season leading the league in assists, it would be the first time a center has done it since Wilt Chamberlain in 1967-68. 

Perhaps what excites me most about this matchup is the battle at the center position. The Houston Rockets are led by a couple great all-stars and All-NBA players like forward Kevin Durant, and of course their center Alperen Şengün. The 23-year old Turkish Superstar, has often been compared to Nikola Jokić, and his stat line is eerily similar to that of the MVP’s. 

Şengün averages 23.5 PPG, 9.4 rebounds, and seven assists per game. Of course, he is not at the beyond-impressive levels of a triple double, but he is creeping close. There is no doubt about it that the Jokić-Şengün matchup is why most fans will tune into this game. 

However, one cannot forget about the rest of this team, particularly the future Hall of Famer in Durant. Acquired in the offseason via trade in return for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and a package of draft picks, Durant has helped catapult the Rockets into a legit contender. 

In his age 37 season, Durant is averaging 25 PPG, 4.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists. His shooting numbers have remained efficient, as he is shooting over 51% from the field and 42% from 3-point range. Durant helps to fulfill what was the Rockets Achilles heel last season, which was the lack of a consistent and efficient scoring option. The Houston Rockets also are top 3 in offense (121.1 PPG) and top three in defense allowing just 112.1 PPG. 

This makes this matchup all the more anticipating. However, of course, I look forward to seeing the battle of two of the best centers in the league with very similar styles of play, going head-to-head right before the holiday. The Houston Rockets will visit Ball Arena in Denver to take on the Nuggets for the 3rd time this season at 5 p.m. on Saturday, December 20th, on NBATV.

Darren Worrell can be reached at darren.worrell@student.shu.edu.

Victor Lisboa can be reached at victor.lisboa@student.shu.edu.

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