The NBA season is creeping up on the Christmas Day holiday where the league really begins to kick it into high gear. For the Philadelphia 76ers, they have been playing at a high level over the past week and it has earned them a higher spot in the power rankings around the league.
As the new week began on Monday, ESPN released its latest power rankings with the Sixers earning a new spot. After a week that included wins over top tier teams like the Denver Nuggets and the Boston Celtics, but ended with a disappointing loss to the Brooklyn Nets, the Sixers have moved up to the fifth spot in the rankings led by the play of Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris.
Joel Embiid’s 38-point, 13-rebound stat line was not the only impressive feat in Thursday’s win at Boston. For the first time this season, Philadelphia won on the road against a team over .500. Two under-the-radar developments during the Sixers’ 13-3 stretch of games since Nov. 15 is the play of Tobias Harris and the increased usage of first-round pick Matisse Thybulle. In the past five games, Harris is averaging 23.4 points and shooting 49% from the field and 38.1% from 3. Thybulle had been averaging 24.6 minutes in his previous five games before exiting Sunday with an upset stomach. — Marks
The Milwaukee Bucks maintain the top spot in the rankings as they have been romping through the league on an 18 game winning streak. The Bucks are the Sixers’ main competition in the Eastern Conference as they fight for East supremacy and a spot in the NBA Finals.
The Sixers and the Bucks matchup in a primetime matchup on Christmas Day in Philadelphia. [lawrence-related id=21475,21466,21449]