8. Utah
Record: 13-9
Last week: Unranked
Just when Utah seems to be getting back to full strength, someone else gets hurt. On two separate occasions this season it's been guard George Hill, whose absence results in Rodney Hood and Gordon Hayward being asked to do even more play-making on the ball. But through it all the Jazz have won two straight and gone 6-4 in their last ten games, thanks in large part to a defense that's allowing only 95.1 points per game. With athletic center Rudy Gobert serving as the rim protector, Utah's managed to adjust to the havoc that missing pieces can wreak on an offense by getting even stingier defensively (first in points allowed, eighth in defensive rating). That will serve them well when all of their key guys are in the fold. (Getty)
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