NBA Power Rankings: Blake Griffin trade shakes things up

The 76ers are rounding into playoff form, with nine wins in the last 12 games to move into contention for the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. While they miss J.J. Redick (two of their losses in this recent stretch are to the Celtics and the Thunder), Joel Embiid is healthy and Ben Simmons is continuing to excel in his role as the de facto point guard.

The Sixers lost their first game of the week, 105-101, on the road in Memphis against the Grizzlies. Marc Gasol had a key 3-pointer in the fourth quarter to break a tie game, and they were able to execute down the stretch while the Sixers had a learning opportunity. On Australian Heritage Night at Wells Fargo Center, Ben Simmons messed around for a triple-double, his fifth of the season, with 19 points, 17 rebounds and 14 assists to lead Philly to a 115-101 win over the Chicago Bulls, who are trending the opposite direction of the 76ers.

They had one of their best wins of the season on the road in San Antonio, holding the Spurs to a season-low in points in a 97-78 win. Philly limited San Antonio to just 31 points in the first half, and their defense tightened up in the fourth quarter as well, holding the Spurs to 17 points. “We’re happy, we won,” Simmons said. “We’re playing well. We’re playing good team basketball.” They certainly got up for their final game of the week, but couldn’t match Russell Westbrook’s intensity in the fourth quarter, and they lost an exciting game, 122-112 in Oklahoma City. Embiid had a big dunk, knocking down Westbroook as the point guard tried to draw a charge, and followed it with a staredown as he strolled back down the court. That just triggered the reigning MVP, who took the game over after that play.