Out of Site: The Sixers are one of the hottest teams in the NBA after winning eight in a row, is this team a legitimate championship contender? With Dave Early..

Christmas time has passed. Christmas time has passed. (Just assume your hosts are singing that like in the beginning of “A Charlie Brown Christmas”.) The Philadelphia 76ers have won eight in a row after their 119-112 victory over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Christmas Day. The boys in red and white (very Christmassy, by the way) were fueled by performances by Joel Embiid (35 points, eight rebounds), James Harden (29 points, 13 assists) as well as some hot shooting from De’Anthony Melton and Georges Niang – particularly from the “Mini Van” in the fourth quarter. Things are going good. So, something has to happen to change the mood, right? Well, the mood is improved even moreso thanks to a report from Jackson Frank that says that Tyrese Maxey could be returning to the lineup THIS FRIDAY against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Sixers commented that Maxey might be put on a minutes restriction to start since he is returning from a fractured foot. With Maxey’s return, Adio Royster and David Early try to figure out what kind of boost the young 22-year-old guard will bring to a team that is surging. The pendulum swung the other way with a report to dampen moods a little. Before the game against the Knicks, a report from Woj suggested that James Harden is interested in returning to the Houston Rockets in the off-season. We don’t know where the report came from. We don’t know what purpose the report serves, but as always, it is worth unpacking because we’ve seen this playbook from Harden in the past. Another report from Ian Begley hints that the Knicks have discussed internally about the prospect of trading for Tobias Harris. Is that transaction even possible? Do the Knicks have anyone the Sixers would want to get the team to the NBA Finals? Lastly, Adio adds a new title to his list of many responsibilities at Liberty Ballers. Rex Chapman may have cornered the market on the “block or charge” debate on Twitter, but who’s doing it ON actual podcasts. Well, Adio is with his “Yams Defender” segment towards the end of the pod. Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year, Sixers Nation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices