NBA power rankings: Sixers slowly recalibrating after tough stretch

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NBA power rankings — Bulls, Bucks, Nets

6. Chicago Bulls (16-8)

Chicago’s return to prominence is real. The Bulls’ offense is tantalizing, with two elite on-ball creators in Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, one of the NBA’s sharpest play-connectors in Lonzo Ball, and a fruitful interior scorer in Nikola Vucevic. The defense has been equally impressive despite, on the surface, lacking elite defensive personnel. Alex Caruso and Ball deserve a lot of credit for Chicago’s success on that end. The Bulls have at least two All-Stars, and look like a team that could give Brooklyn and Milwaukee some trouble atop the East.

5. Milwaukee Bucks (15-9)

The Bucks started the season in a slump, but the return of Khris Middleton has put them right back atop the Eastern Conference hierarchy. Giannis Antetokounmpo is a perennial top-3 MVP candidate at this point, and the Bucks have done well to offset the absences of Brook Lopez and Donte DiVincenzo with elevated performances from key reserves, such as Grayson Allen and Bobby Portis.

4. Brooklyn Nets (16-7)

The Nets occupy the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings despite not really feeling like themselves right now. That should probably concern other teams. Kevin Durant is the best player on the planet, which is a good starting point for any contender. James Harden has been all sorts of off this season, but he’s slowly rounding into shape. The bench is a mess and Kyrie Irving’s absence has been deeply felt, but still — they’re the No. 1 seed right now. The Nets are impossible to count out.