The Utah Jazz are on fire.
They hold the best record in the NBA at the moment at 20-5 and passed the first test of the toughest part of the schedule — which includes games against Milwaukee, Miami, Philadelphia and both Los Angeles teams — by beating the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.
Here is where national outlets rank the Jazz in this week’s power rankings.
What they said about the Jazz:
“The Jazz have won 15 of 16, getting an impressive road win in Indiana on Sunday despite NBA plus-minus leader Mike Conley sitting out because of tightness in his right hamstring. That’s a concern considering that hamstring issues sidelined Conley for 19 games last season. The silver lining is that Donovan Mitchell has thrived in the past when sliding over to point guard — and did so again against the Pacers on Sunday, when he had 27 points, 11 assists and finished one rebound shy of his first career triple-double.” — Tim MacMahon
What they said about the Jazz:
“The Jazz’s loss in Denver eight days ago was just a hiccup, apparently. They went on to lead their next three games by at least 25 points and, with Mike Conley out for the last game of their three-game trip, they avoided further Sunday-afternoon issues and took care of business in Indiana. Less than 48 hours after setting the franchise record for 3-pointers (26 in Charlotte on Friday), the Jazz had their least efficient offensive game of this 15-1 stretch. But Donovan Mitchell tied his career high with 11 assists and they became just the second team to hold the Pacers under a point per possession this season.
“The Jazz remain the only team that ranks in the top five on both ends of the floor and have now gone a full month with just one loss. Their stretch of Eastern Conference hoops continues with a fun four-game homestand, with the Celtics, Bucks, Heat and Sixers at Vivint Arena over the next eight days. The Jazz’s previous franchise record for 3-pointers came a month ago in Milwaukee in what was the first game of their 11-game winning streak.” — John Schuhmann
What they said about the Jazz:
“Utah winning 16-of-17 and vaulting to the top of the standings has created a new goal for the Jazz: Finish with the top seed in the West. This is not about bragging rights, it’s about putting the Lakers and Clippers (the likely 2-3 seeds in this scenario) on the other side of the bracket, making it more likely the Jazz can reach the Western Conference Finals (if they can beat Denver). Tuesday’s win against Boston starts a couple of tough weeks of games for the Jazz including the Bucks, 76ers, and Clippers.” — Kurt Helin
What they said about the Jazz:
“Donovan Mitchell was downright masterful down the stretch of Utah’s win over Boston on Tuesday. Mitchell finished the night with 36 points and nine assists, and he scored or assisted on each of the Jazz’s final 18 points down the stretch. Mitchell sports the mentality of a true superstar. He’s everything you want as a franchise anchor from a personality and leadership standpoint. Is he talented enough to lead a team to a Finals berth? Time will tell. 2021 marks the best chance of his career to date.” — Michael Shapiro
What they said about the Jazz:
“Utah remained the league’s hottest team this week, with wins over the Pistons, Hawks, Hornets and Pacers. The offense has somewhat come back to Earth, but the Jazz clamped down defensively with a 103.3 rating this week. Donovan Mitchell was phenomenal this week, like he has been all season, averaging 26.8 points and 5.5 assists on 53 percent 3-point shooting. Mike Conley’s hamstring injury could be the only thing that slows down the Jazz at this point, since their guard rotation has been pretty shallow, but Joe Ingles can provide the missing playmaking and shooting.” — Colin Ward-Henninger