Philadelphia hoops pride on line

The NBA lockout won’t stop some of the game’s brightest stars from descending upon the Palestra on Sunday for “The Battle of I-95.”

The game, a matchup between Team Philly and Team Melo, will tip off at 6 p.m. and be streamed live on SI.com. The headliners for Team Melo include LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul. Team Philly includes Hakim Warrick, Tyreke Evans, Kyle Lowry, John Salmons, Lou Williams and Jason Thompson. Former Sixer Allen Iverson will not play, as previously rumored.

“My Philadelphia All-Stars look forward to getting on the court and proving to Melo and the people of Baltimore/D.C. that the best ballers come out of Philly,” Warrick said. “Melo told me he was bringing a squad that can’t be beat, so I have a few all-star surprises for him when my team takes the court on Sept. 25.”

Team Philly is undoubtedly the underdog against a team with arguably four of the top 10 players in the world (LeBron, Melo, KD and CP3), but with Philadelphia pride on the line a fierce, entertaining battle is expected in what will be a historic night.

“A lot of people are going to come there just because they’re fans of certain players,” Thompson said. “Once the game gets going, guys are going to be going at each other. That’s what makes the game exciting. You never know what’s going to happen.”