In the eight games following the All-Star break, the Philadelphia 76ers posted a 4-4 record. Obviously, that isn’t a disastrous outcome for any NBA team but, considering the massive investment the Sixers made to acquire Tobias Harris before the trade deadline and Jimmy Butler before that, a casual fan may have poked fun at Philadelphia for its sluggishness. Since then, however, the team has reeled off four straight victories, with one noticeable difference: Joel Embiid is back.
The talented big man missed his team’s first eight games after the break but, since Embiid returned, the Sixers are spotless, including a road win in Milwaukee on Sunday that produced all kinds of chatter in NBA circles. For the season, the Sixers are 40-18 when Embiid plays and only 5-7 when he doesn’t. Philly has been legitimately elite when their All-Star center is on the floor, outscoring opponents by 8.0 points per 100 possessions.
When Embiid sits, the pendulum swings to -2.8 points per 100 possessions. In short, the Sixers absolutely need Embiid firing on all cylinders to accomplish their goals but, simply put, Philadelphia is genuinely terrifying when their centerpiece is on the floor and that has to be noted.
Beyond Embiid’s individual brilliance, Philadelphia’s best five-man unit is, at least on paper, quite terrifying for the opposition. The quintet of Embiid, Butler, Harris, Ben Simmons and J.J. Redick has been available for only seven games to this point but, in 116 minutes together, they have outscored opponents by 17.2 (!) points per 100 possessions. It’s a small sample size but, at the same time, the talent on display is befitting of that kind of dominance and, once again, Philadelphia’s appeal should be quite clear in a playoff setting.
A lot can change between now and May when the chips are down but, at the moment, it would be easy to argue that Philadelphia is playing as well as anyone in the Eastern Conference. If you’re trying to find the best lineup that a team can play, it might just be the starters from the Sixers. Where does Philly land in this week’s DIME power rankings, though? Let’s explore.
1. Houston Rockets (44-26, Last week — 1st)
The Rockets finally lost this week but there are worse things than dropping a game to the Warriors by three points. Golden State probably would’ve jumped back into the top spot if they took care of business elsewhere but that didn’t happen, and Houston is still riding a run of 11 wins in 12 games. That feels like a No. 1 profile.
2. San Antonio Spurs (42-29, Last week — 6th)
Nine straight wins for the Spurs! San Antonio has been hot and cold all season but, at the time of this post, they are certainly in a zone. The streak featured wins over the Thunder, Nuggets, Bucks, Blazers and Warriors. We just can’t ignore that.
3. Philadelphia 76ers (45-25, Last week — 7th)
Philly is seven games back of Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference standings and they just haven’t been as good as the Bucks and Raptors over the full season. Still, they look fantastic at the moment and this jump is warranted.
4. Golden State Warriors (47-22, Last week — 3rd)
The Warriors went on the road and beat the Rockets and Thunder in succession, and that’s a reminder of what they can do, even without Kevin Durant. Then, they lost to the scalding hot Spurs and, while there is no shame in that, we couldn’t send Steve Kerr’s team back to the top.
5. Milwaukee Bucks (52-18, Last week — 2nd)
Giannis and company are doing just fine. They’ve won four of the past six and the two losses came to the Spurs (on the road) and Sixers. In the big picture, Milwaukee has been the best team in the league this season but we’re drilling down further and they aren’t playing at quite that level right now.
6. Denver Nuggets (47-22, Last week — 8th)
The Nuggets went into Boston (on something of an Isaiah Thomas appreciation night) and thumped the Celtics. That was quite a statement and Denver has won four in a row to boot.
7. Toronto Raptors (50-21, Last week — 4th)
I’m not sure there is anything to worry about with the Raptors, but Toronto is just 4-4 in their last eight games. They’ll have a prime chance to right the ship on the road in Oklahoma City on Wednesday but, for now, they probably should’ve fallen even more in this space.
8. LA Clippers (41-30, Last week — 5th)
This wasn’t supposed to happen. The Clippers shipped Tobias Harris away and … got better? Maybe not, but Doc Rivers’ team is playing better, to the tune of seven wins in their last eight games. That run essentially clinched a playoff spot and, even if that makes them lose a draft pick, it’s one heck of a stretch for L.A.
9. Utah Jazz (41-29, Last week — 14th)
Utah’s schedule is finally allowing them to prosper. The Jazz are in the midst of a four-game winning streak and, while none of the victories are immensely impressive on paper, they all count. By the way, the Jazz are also No. 7 in the league in net rating (+3.8) for the full season.
10. Portland Trail Blazers (43-27, Last week — 10th)
The Blazers are still quietly rolling along. Portland is 4-1 in their last five and the lone blemish came on the road against the Spurs. Everyone is losing to the Spurs right now, so it’s not the worst loss to suffer.
11. Boston Celtics (43-28, Last week — 11th)
One step forward … one step back? Boston lost at home to Denver on Monday. That isn’t a horrid result but, with the way the Celtics almost gave away a home game against Atlanta over the weekend, it would’ve been nice to see a bit more force from a team with this level of talent.
12. Oklahoma City Thunder (42-29, Last week — 9th)
They’ve been unlucky, at least according to point differential, but the Thunder are quietly 4-9 in their last 13 games. There have been issues on both ends, but their once league-leading defense isn’t playing at that level anymore. It’s a concern.
13. Indiana Pacers (44-27, Last week — 13th)
Since the All-Star break, the Pacers are 6-7. We shouldn’t foreclose on them completely but, in the same breath, that is probably close to the performance you would expect from the Victor Oladipo-less squad.
14. Detroit Pistons (36-34, Last week — 16th)
Isn’t it perfectly on-brand for the Pistons to beat the Raptors at home and then lose to the Cavs on the road? Well, that two-pack just happened.
15. Miami Heat (34-36, Last week — 17th)
The competition level hasn’t been off the charts (at least in the victories) but Miami has won six of eight games. Every little bit helps for a team that is essentially a coin flip to make the playoffs at this stage.
16. Orlando Magic (33-38, Last week — 18th)
There isn’t much to be gleaned from Orlando beating Cleveland and Atlanta in their last two games. Still, the Magic absolutely needed to bank those wins and, through the full season, Orlando hasn’t exactly been predictable on a night-to-night basis.
17. Sacramento Kings (34-35, Last week — 19th)
On the heels of three straight defeats on the road, the Kings “got right” with a 27-point win over Chicago. There isn’t anything terribly exciting about that victory in the dog days of March but, with the playoffs now an afterthought, it would still be nice for Sacramento to finish strong and hit the .500 mark in this overachieving season.
18. Brooklyn Nets (36-36, Last week — 12th)
We’ll touch on the Wolves in a moment but let’s just say Brooklyn and Minnesota had similar plights this week. The Nets had to go on the road to face the Thunder, Jazz and Clippers. It would’ve been nice to get a win, but that didn’t happen, and Brooklyn is back to .500 with 10 games remaining.
19. Minnesota Timberwolves (32-38, Last week — 15th)
After a well-earned jump last week, the Wolves crashed back to earth, albeit for explainable reasons. Minnesota just faced a gauntlet with road games against Denver, Utah and Houston. They lost all three, but a lot of teams would lose all three.
20. Washington Wizards (30-41, Last week — 21st)
Did you know that the Wizards are 17-18 in their last 35 games? If only they had played that way through the entire season.
21. Charlotte Hornets (31-38, Last week — 22nd)
Since reaching the .500 mark on Feb. 2, the Hornets are 5-12. They are a bottom-five team in the NBA during that 17-game stretch. That probably isn’t wholly indicative but it’s brutal right now in Charlotte.
22. Atlanta Hawks (24-47, Last week — 24th)
The Hawks nearly pulled off a miracle in Boston on Saturday, coming back from 25 points down in the second half before faltering in the final minutes. Atlanta then took a schedule loss in Orlando. The schedule is brutal for Trae Young’s squad down the stretch. Don’t believe me? Well, the Hawks square off with the Rockets, Jazz and Sixers over the next seven days to get things started.
23. Memphis Grizzlies (28-42, Last week — 20th)
Memphis slips behind Atlanta because they got trounced by the Hawks on Wednesday. Sometimes, decisions are easy.
24. New Orleans Pelicans (31-42, Last week — 25th)
Only a date with the Mavericks helped New Orleans stop an extended losing streak. Elfrid Payton has five (!) straight triple-doubles but, if you’re looking for additional bright spots, it would be tough to find them.
25. Cleveland Cavaliers (18-53, Last week — 26th)
The Cavs still aren’t very good, which was plainly evident in a blowout loss to Orlando and a defeat at the hands of the ghastly Mavericks. Cleveland did end the week on a high note with a win over Detroit, but that might’ve been more of an indictment on the way the Pistons played. Collin Sexton posted an efficient 27-point night, which is definitely win if you’re a Cavs supporter.
26. Chicago Bulls (20-52, Last week — 27th)
Chicago has leveled off after a real uptick, which manifested with a five-game losing streak. The Bulls avoided complete disaster on Monday, though, with a road win in Phoenix.
27. Phoenix Suns (17-55, Last week — 23rd)
There have been signs of life for a Phoenix team that still has the league’s second-worst record, but a home loss to Chicago on Monday took a bit of the wind out of the sails here. On the bright side, the Suns should be happy with the progress of Deandre Ayton, who appears to be the real deal in the middle.
28. Dallas Mavericks (28-42, Last week — 29th)
We took a deeper look at Dallas last week in this space and things haven’t gotten much better since then. The Mavs did knock off Cleveland on Saturday but Dallas utterly imploded in a tank-worthy loss on Monday to seal a bottom-three fate.
29. New York Knicks (14-57, Last week — 30th)
The Knicks, as currently constructed, are absolutely dreadful. We all know this. However, New York did win one game this week, paving the way for a new No. 30 squad.
30. Los Angeles Lakers (31-39, Last week — 28th)
When LeBron is playing, the Lakers obviously aren’t the worst team in the league. I get that. Los Angeles has still been embarrassing in recent days, losing eight of nine games and falling to the lowly Knicks in their last outing. It was time to make a statement so here we are.
