NBA power rankings roundup: Sixers fall after losing four of their last seven games

After a hot start to the season, the Sixers have lost four of their last seven games — three of them against Eastern Conference opponents with records above .500.

Here’s where they stand in five media power rankings:

The Athletic’s weekly power rankings place teams within five tiers: Top Contenders, In a Good Place, The Bubble, Not the Tier to Fear, and Basement Floor. The Sixers have fallen from No. 7 to No. 13 — dropping into The Bubble tier, which is labeled as the middle of the pack.

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“Twenty years ago, Allen Iverson averaged a career-high 33.0 points per game while leading the NBA in minutes at 43.1 per game,” Law Murray wrote. “Now, [Tyrese] Maxey is wearing the black threads Iverson wore while averaging 33.2 points per game, the only player in the league averaging 40 minutes. The Sixers are going to need to find Maxey some relief at some point, but for now, he is putting up the numbers of an MVP.”

The Sixers are directly on the outside of the second tier, In a Good Place, ranking behind the No. 12 Chicago Bulls and the No. 11 Milwaukee Bucks.

The Sixers were No. 6 in ESPN’s power rankings after a hot start to the season. Now, they have fallen to the 13th spot, ranking behind the No. 12 Bulls and No. 11 Bucks.

“It wouldn’t be a 76ers season if there weren’t nonstop injury questions,” Tim Bontemps wrote. “Joel Embiid and Paul George have uncertain timelines to return to the court with knee issues, as George still has yet to make his season debut after offseason surgery. The dynamic combo of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, however, has allowed Philly to get off to a far better start than expected.”

The Sixers were riding high after a 5-1 start. But the last week proved to be tougher than expected as they sank from No. 6 to No. 13 in NBC Sports Philadelphia’s power rankings.

» READ MORE: Sixers takeaways: A never-quit approach and Justin Edwards’ revival highlight win over Celtics

“Last week proved to be a bit of a reality check for the 76ers, who faced some of the best of the East — Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit — and dropped all three games,” Kurt Helin wrote. “The good news is Jared McCain is back (a thumb injury and surgery kept him out of training camp and the start of the season), which may take some of the load off Tyrese Maxey, who has been brilliant (averaging 33.2 points and 8.2 assists a game) but is playing a league-leading 41.1 minutes a night.”

The Sixers rank behind the No. 12 Minnesota Timberwolves and No. 11 Miami Heat.

The Sixers have fallen four spots from last week’s No. 10 ranking.

“The Sixers have lost four of their last six and have a third-quarter problem, having been outscored nine times in the period through their first 10 games,” Lorenzo Reyes wrote.

Reyes has the Sixers behind the Heat (No. 13) and the Golden State Warriors (No. 12), but ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers (No. 15) and Boston Celtics (No. 16).

Last week, the Sixers competed against three Eastern Conference teams above .500. Despite losing all three games, the Sixers remain in the 15th spot — trailing the No. 14 Trail Blazers and the No. 13 Bulls.

“The Sixers (winners of three games they trailed by double digits in the fourth quarter) got a taste of their own medicine in Chicago on Tuesday, leading by as many as 24 points and by 13 early in the fourth, only to be outscored, 25-10 over the final 10 minutes,” Jon Schuhmann wrote. “They’ve generally been good at preventing corner 3s this season, but they allowed the Bulls to shoot 8-for-14 from the corners, with Nikola Vučević draining the weak-side game-winner over Quentin Grimes.”