The Utah Jazz have their groove back.
Utah has won seven consecutive games as the Jazz continue to sit atop the Western Conference. The Jazz looked every bit a championship contender in blowout wins over Memphis and Cleveland.
Here’s where national publications slot the Jazz in power rankings this week:
ESPN — No. 1 (Last week No. 2)
What they said about the Jazz:
“The Jazz have snapped out of their midseason funk. After losing five of eight games, Utah has won five in a row, giving the Jazz the league’s longest active winning streak again. Donovan Mitchell is averaging 31.6 points on .557/.513/.968 shooting splits during the winning streak. Sixth man Jordan Clarkson had been in a slump for most of the streak — he’s shooting 24.6% from the floor in the first four games — but busted out of it with 28 points on 11-of-21 shooting in Saturday’s win over the Grizzlies.” — Tim MacMahon
NBA.com — No. 1 (Last week No. 5)
What they said about the Jazz:
The Jazz almost blew a 21-point lead to the Grizzlies on Friday, but remain undefeated (19-0) at Vivint Arena in 2021. They’ve had a halftime lead of 15 points or more in 11 of those 19 home games, including each of the last five. Through the first three games of their current homestand, Donovan Mitchell has shot 26-for-35 (including 11-for-16 from 3-point range) in the first half.
Quin Snyder has a very structured rotation, where Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert go to the bench relatively early in the first and third quarters, returning late in the period to play alongside three reserves (Jordan Clarkson, Joe Ingles and Georges Niang). With that structure and with how healthy the Jazz have been this season, their three main lineups – the starting group, the mid-first-quarter group, and the late-first-early-second group have all eclipsed the 200-minute mark. There are 10 league-wide lineups that have played at least 200 minutes and outscored their opponents by at least 10 points per 100 possessions, and the Jazz have three of the 10. Their fourth-most-used lineup– Ingles instead of Conley – has outscored its opponents by 22.6 per 100 in its 172 minutes after scoring 47 points on just 29 possessions (with Conley out) against Memphis’ sixth-ranked defense on Saturday.
The Jazz still have more home games (15) than road games (12) remaining. And their schedule will be West-heavy after they host the Bulls and Magic on Friday and Saturday. — John Schuhmann
Sports Illustrated — No. 1 (Last week No. 2)
What they said about the Jazz:
“Mike Conley’s terrific season is going a bit under the radar as the Jazz cruise through the regular season. Conley is averaging 16.1 points per game while shooting 41.7% from three, and his advanced metrics are even more impressive. Conley is tallying nearly three assists for every turnover. He sits No. 3 in the NBA in defensive rating and No. 1 in net rating. Conley has found his Memphis form in 2020–21, helping fuel a dominant year in Utah.” — Michael Shapiro
CBS Sports — No. 2 (Last week No. 2)
What they said about the Jazz:
“The Jazz didn’t make any deadline deals, but they won all four games this week to bring their latest streak to five games. Their win over the shell of a Nets roster isn’t enough to move them into the No. 1 spot, but Utah has some momentum after a relatively shaky stretch. Donovan Mitchell was a human torch this week, averaging nearly 32 points and 6.5 assists on 20-for-30 3-point shooting. Jordan Clarkson broke out of a horrendous slump in Saturday’s win over the Grizzlies, putting up 28 points on 5-for-12 3-point shooting.” — Colin Ward-Henninger
NBC Sports — No. 1 (Last week No.5)
What they said about the Jazz:
“During its current six-game win streak, the Jazz have the best defense in the NBA, the second-best offense, and a +23 net rating (although it has come against a soft part of the schedule, including beating Brooklyn but without any of its three stars). Donovan Mitchell has been a force during the streak, averaging 29.5 points a game. The Jazz continue to make a hard push for home court in the playoffs, and with good reason — Utah is 20-0 this season at Vivint Arena.” — Kurt Helin