9. Boston
Record: 15-12
Last week: Unranked
After slipping out of the power rankings last week the Celtics make their return, as they managed to pick up wins over Charlotte and Miami after losing the Spurs in San Antonio. Isaiah Thomas missed four games due to a strained groin, with the Celtics losing three of them, and while other options saw an increase in their shot attempts the stretch simply reinforced just how important Thomas is to the Celtics. Now that he's back Boston will look to continue its winning ways with games at Memphis (Tuesday) and Indiana (Thursday). And it should be noted that while Boston still isn't defending at the level they did last season, they're trending in the right direction as they're now 13th in defensive rating after a slow start. (Getty)
