The Philadelphia 76ers have had an interesting week. They went 2-1 as they began a four-game road trip, and they welcomed Joel Embiid back to the lineup after he missed 10 games with a bone bruise in his left knee. But the one loss they took seemed frustrating.
The Sixers did not come out with the right energy against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday and it seemed to have cost them in the power rankings.
In ESPN’s latest power rankings, the Sixers fell from No. 3 to No. 4. They had been in the top 3 for two straight weeks:
There might not be a bigger game left in this regular season than Nets-Sixers in Philadelphia on Wednesday night. The teams are tied for first place in the East and have split the first two meetings — meaning Wednesday’s winner will hold the tiebreaker. But this is a huge week for Philly, which also plays in Dallas on Monday, before hosting the Clippers on Friday.
The Sixers begin a huge seven-game stretch in which they take on those three teams before also taking on the Golden State Warriors, the Phoenix Suns and two straight games with the Milwaukee Bucks on the road. This will be a make-or-break stretch for Philadelphia and it will have to be at its best or it could lose the top seed in the standings.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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