Boston Celtics surge up 2 spots in NBA Power Rankings

Boston Celtics Jaylen Brown. Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
Boston Celtics Jaylen Brown. Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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NBA Power Rankings Miami Heat Jimmy Butler
Miami Heat Jimmy Butler. Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) /

24-8. Previous: . Miami Heat. 7. team. 110.

Last week: Beat Utah 107-104, beat Indiana 113-112, beat Philadelphia 117-116 (OT)

This week: Monday at Washington, Thursday vs. Toronto, Friday at Orlando

The Miami Heat went 3-0 last week to complete a 4-0 homestand, but man, they did not do things the easy way. The Heat held off the Jazz by three points in what for them was the lopsided decision of the week before getting one-point wins over the Pacers and 76ers (in overtime). Miami is now 15-1 at home this season after coming out on top of those close calls.

Jimmy Butler put up 21.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.7 steals in 36.2 minutes per game last week, despite shooting only 36.2 percent overall and going 0-for-3 from long range. He made up for it with an 86.1 percent week at the free throw line than game on 12.0 attempts per game. One of those foul shots beat Philadelphia on Saturday, coming with 2.3 seconds left in OT.

NBA Power Rankings Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid
Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

6. team. 93. . 23-12. Previous: . Philadelphia 76ers

Last week: Won at Detroit 125-108, beat Milwaukee 121-109, lost at Orlando 98-97, lost at Miami 117-116 (OT)

This week: Tuesday at Indiana, Friday at Houston

So how do the Philadelphia 76ers end up moving up in the rankings after a 2-2 week? Beating the Bucks convincingly on Christmas Day carried some weight and it’s really hard to penalize a team too much for consecutive one-point losses on a Florida back-to-back. Still, the home-road splits have to be concerning for Philadelphia, considering the Sixers are now fifth in the East.

The 76ers are 16-2 at home and 7-10 on the road — not great. Joel Embiid put together a very good week, however, averaging 27.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.8 blocks in 31.1 minutes per game while shooting 55.2 percent overall and hitting 45.5 percent on 5.5 3-point tries per game. He hung 35 points and 11 boards on Miami Saturday night.