NBA Power Rankings: Philadelphia 76ers the last unbeaten after Week 2

Last week: Won vs. Orlando 104-95, won vs. Detroit 125-113, lost at Milwaukee 115-105

This week: Wednesday vs. Sacramento, Friday at New Orleans, Sunday at Lakers

We arrive at the top 10 with the defending champion and still-formidable Toronto Raptors, whose three-game winning streak was snapped Saturday with a loss at Milwaukee.

The Raptors are thriving by making their shots count and preventing opponents from doing the same, ranking third per Cleaning the Glass with an effective field goal percentage of 54.7 while also in the No. 7 spot defensively, allowing opponents an eFG% of 48.5

In the loss to the Bucks, it’s not coincidental that Pascal Siakam put up his worst game of the young season with 16 points on 7-of-19 shooting before fouling out in 32 minutes. That contrasted to his 30 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals on 13-of-21 shooting in Toronto’s win over Detroit on Wednesday.

In six games, Siakam is holding up to the demands of being the top offensive option, averaging 26.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 33.5 minutes a night while shooting 48.7 percent overall and 42.4 percent on 5.5 attempts per game from deep. That 96.3 free throw percentage looks nice, as well, particularly when one recalls he shot 62.1 percent at the line in 2017-18.

Last week: Won vs. Portland 113-110, lost at Clippers 103-97, won at Golden State 127-110, lost to Lakers 103-96

This week: Tuesday at Atlanta, Thursday vs. Oklahoma City, Sunday vs. Boston

If it weren’t for Los Angeles, the San Antonio Spurs would be undefeated so far. Instead, the Spurs split four games last week, with losses to the Clippers in LA on Thursday and at home to the Lakers Sunday night.

San Antonio ranks just 15th in defensive efficiency at 105.4 points allowed per 100 possessions, but the Spurs are helping themselves by finishing possessions when they get stops — their 77.4 defensive rebounding percentage is third in the NBA.

The little things matter when a team is not playing at an elite level defensively. At the other end, the Spurs are seventh with an offensive rating of 109.0 despite only showing up in the top 10 in free throw attempt rate (third at .321 per 100 possessions) and offensive rebounding rate (27.9 percent, eighth in the NBA).

Derrick White is adjusting to being back in a reserve role, averaging 13.7 points and 3.2 rebounds in 23.6 minutes per game while shooting 55.8 percent overall and going 6-for-12 from long range. He had back-to-back 20-point outings last week, including 20 points with five rebounds, two assists and two blocks in San Antonio’s loss to the Clippers on Halloween night.

Last week: Won vs. Cleveland 129-112, lost at Boston 116-105, won at Orlando 123-91, won vs. Toronto 115-105

This week: Monday at Minnesota, Wednesday at Clippers, Friday at Utah, Sunday at Oklahoma City

Things got back to something resembling what was expected from the Milwaukee Bucks last week as they put together a 3-1 week, with the only blemish coming Wednesday in an 11-point loss at Boston — a game in which the Bucks led by as much as 19 before getting obliterated by the Celtics in the second half by a 74-47 margin.

Reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is still a walking stat line, with averages of 26.7 points, 13.8 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 steals in 32.5 minutes per game thus far, shooting 58.8 percent overall. But he’s just 4-for-20 from deep and is only making 61.0 percent of his free throws while averaging 4.3 turnovers per game. That means he can (gulp) play better.

Perhaps no player reflects the up-and-down nature Milwaukee has displayed this season more than Eric Bledsoe. The point guard showed some signs of life in the blowout at Orlando, scoring a season-high 18 points with six assists while hitting 8-of-15 from the floor. But that was on the heels of a season-low seven points on 3-of-8 shooting in the collapse at Boston.

The 10th-year veteran is averaging 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 25.8 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .408/.231/.625. A career 79.3 percent free throw shooter, one can expect that area to normalize, but Bledsoe has never been more than a passable 3-point threat.