The 2021-22 schedule has officially been released by the NBA and the Philadelphia 76ers will open the season on Oct. 20 to take on Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans in the bayou.

While that is opening night and it should excite fans, there are some other matchups to look out for.

Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and the rest of the Sixers have their eyes set on a championship in 2022, and in order to contend, they will have to test their will against some of the league’s best teams. The regular-season schedule does not always offer that opportunity due to load management, but in theory, there are five games that stand out on the schedule that should give Philadelphia an idea of how good they can be.

With that being said, here are the five games that Sixers fans should look out for when the season tips off in October:

October 22: Hosting the Brooklyn Nets

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The Sixers and the Nets matched up three times in the 2020-21 season, but neither team saw each other at full strength. For one, the Sixers never saw Brooklyn’s Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden on the floor all at the same time. In fact, they did not see Durant at all in the previous season. This will be their first opportunity to battle one of the heavyweights in the East.

October 30: Hosting the Atlanta Hawks

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This will be the first time the Sixers and the Hawks match up since their Game 7 defeat back on June 20. Atlanta moved on to the Eastern Conference finals and they were two wins away from the NBA finals behind the stellar play of Trae Young. The Atlanta star will undoubtedly be public enemy No. 1 the night before Halloween at Wells Fargo Center.

November 9: Hosting the Milwaukee Bucks

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This is another early-season test for Philadelphia when they welcome the defending champions into town. The Sixers want what the Bucks have at the moment and they will have to go through Giannis Antetokounmpo in order to get it. While it is only November, this will be a nice litmus test for them.

January 27: Hosting the Los Angeles Lakers

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The Lakers are always a prime matchup to look forward to. It is the one time LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook will visit the Wells Fargo Center and that trio will be a tough one to handle. This is another nice test for Philadelphia a little later in the season to really get an idea of what they can be.

December 15: Hosting the Miami Heat

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This is a matchup to look forward to due to some believing that the Heat will be back in the Eastern title race because of the additions they made. Kyle Lowry, who was a target the Sixers wanted, will be looking to build early chemistry with the team and, of course, it is another return for Jimmy Butler to Philadelphia. With fans now allowed back, there figures to be a lot of hype for this one.