Paddock Power Rankings: The 76ers Are Living on Borrowed Wins, and Minnesota Is Being Ignored

Let's start with the uncomfortable one. Philadelphia is 9-2 and tied for the top of the standings, but its net rating is just +1.4. That's a team winning close games and collecting the credit. Sixers bettors should be wary of the record until the margins catch up.

The genuinely good teams are the ones whose numbers match their résumé. Boston (8-2, net +10.5) and San Antonio (8-2, net +10.0) both look like contenders, not hot starts. Oklahoma City has the best defense on the board at 103.0 and a +7.9 net, so the Thunder are built to win ugly games when shooting goes cold.

Then there's Minnesota. The Timberwolves sit at 8-3, which reads as solid but not special, yet they own the league's best net rating at +11.1 with a 103.8 defense. That's a better team than its record says. Detroit (6-3, net +7.3) and Houston (7-3, net +9.1) fit the same mold: the margins are much better than the win column.

New York (5-4, net +5.7) and Toronto (5-4, net +5.2) are also underrated by their records. Both have real margins, and both are sitting in the middle of the standings for reasons that don't match their underlying play.

Atlanta is the opposite case. The Hawks are 7-4 but carry a net of just +3.0, with a 108.7 defense that doesn't scream contender. Dallas (6-4, net +3.0) shares that profile. Their records look better than their performance.

Denver at 5-3 with a +2.1 net and a 114.0 defensive rating is a team winning on offense (116.2) while getting pushed around on the other end.

At the bottom, the Bulls are the clear floor. Chicago's -16.4 net is the worst in the league, and Charlotte's -14.2 isn't far behind. Sacramento (-12.8) and Milwaukee (-11.6) are a tier below, with no record-based cover story for either.

One data note: the Lions are listed at 0-0 with no ratings, so they're unranked here until real numbers show up. This week, trust the margins over the standings.