2018-19 NBA Power Rankings: Sixers, Spurs figure it out in Week 22

In Week 22 of NBA Power Rankings for the 2018-19 campaign, the Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs are figuring things out at the right time.

With each passing week, the NBA playoffs creep closer and closer. Almost every game has increased importance, with seeding on the line for the playoff teams and draft lottery odds at stake for the non-playoff squads. However, tanking is nowhere near as rampant as it’s been in the past, which means everyone from contenders to lottery teams has something to play for.

That’s resulted in a few bottom-feeders playing better basketball lately, and it’s also elevated a couple of playoff squads to a different level. Though we’re still not at the final playoff push just yet, two such teams, the Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs, step into the spotlight in Week 22 of NBA Power Rankings.

While the Sixers have actually lost three of their last six games, they fared reasonably well in the eight games Joel Embiid missed. Now that their best player is back on the floor, they’re in the driver’s seat for the 3-seed in the East.

As for the Spurs, after dangling in front of the fringe playoff teams out West for weeks, Gregg Popovich’s squad has battened down the hatches with a six-game win streak to climb all the way to sixth in the standings. Like the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers, they’re not in the clear just yet, but it looks like San Antonio is heading for a 22nd straight postseason berth.

With just about a month left in the regular season, it’s time for the latest batch of NBA Power Rankings.