Why Mike Tirico is announcing the 76ers-Trail Blazers game on Monday night

When the Philadelphia 76ers take on the similarly struggling Portland Trail Blazers in a matchup between teams on the outside looking in for the NBA playoffs on Monday night, there will be a different (but familiar) face on the call for NBC Sports.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, NBC Sunday Night Football commentator Mike Tirico will call the game in place of the normal play-by-play announcer, Kate Scott. Tirico will be in the broadcast booth alongside Scott's broadcasting partner, Alaa Abdelnaby, while Scott will be nearby as a part of the NBC Sports pregame coverage.

Tirico is not replacing Scott on the broadcast. Rather, the decision was made to help Tirico get some reps calling basketball games before NBC takes over NBA broadcast rights from TNT next season. Tirico is most known for his NFL coverage but has called quite a few basketball games in his career as well, including during the 2024 Paris Olympics last summer.

“I just wanted to have the opportunity to do a few games this year,” Tirico said per the Inquirer. “Not just to get the rust off, but refamiliarize yourself with the league ... Since February 1, other than some Olympic work, I’ve been really honing in on the NBA to get back up to speed.”

Tirico will be on the call at what has been a tough time for Philadelphia, which won just one game in February is 21-38 on the season. The 76ers snapped a 10-game losing streak on Saturday with a win over the Golden State Warriors after shutting star center Joel Embiid down for the season.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Mike Tirico announcing 76ers-Trail Blazers on Monday night, explained