NBA Power Rankings Week 20: Philadelphia 76ers streaking

NBA Power Rankings Week 20: Philadelphia 76ers streak in the penultimate week

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 02: Ben Simmons #25 and Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers react in front of Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz at the Wells Fargo Center on December 2, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

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NBA, 76ers (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

We are down to one final week in the NBA season! Playoff seeds are being decided and other teams are counting down to when they can book a trip to Cancun (vaccination and travel restrictions pending). This race of a season is coming down to the final lap and every team in the league is playing out the string for something. Whether it be playoff or lottery positioning, this week we will focus on what remains to be determined for each team with one final week to go.

The Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz and Philadelphia 76ers are hot as the final week of the season approaches. Who will be number one in the NBA power rankings?

The play-in games have made it so that many of these teams are still competing for something meaningful. There was a game between the Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs on Friday with real playoff implications. Stars from across the league are complaining about having to play an extra game with meaningful stakes which is the surest sign that the play-in game is working.

For far too long the last month or so of the regular season has been rendered mostly meaningless. Close to half of the league would be doing whatever they could to pile up as many losses as they could, with no hopes of making it into the postseason. Now all but roughly seven teams are competing every night and that number only got this low within the last few weeks. Increased competition is working out well for the league, if not for the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics.

Now, let’s start the Week 20 Power Rankings.