NBA Halloween: Playing trick-or-treat with each team’s early season trend

Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers are top dogs in the East: Treat

Joel Embiid’s incoming suspension after an old-school NBA brawl with Karl-Anthony Towns may complicate things a bit, but the Philadelphia 76ers are one of only two remaining undefeated teams for a reason: They’re damn good when they’re fully healthy.

At 4-0, the Sixers have already walloped the Celtics, overcome the Pistons, outlasted the surprisingly good Hawks and handed the Timberwolves their first loss of the season. In the process (get it?), they’ve posted the second-best point differential (+11.0) in the league.

Embiid will be an MVP candidate, assuming he isn’t suspended for too long, and unlike the Bucks, Philly doesn’t appear to be content with coasting through the regular season. Until the playoffs prove otherwise, the all-lengthy Sixers and their second-ranked defense feel like the team to beat in the East.