The hottest team in the NBA isn’t the Rockets or Warriors — it’s the tenth-seeded Utah Jazz, winners of nine straight — one of which came in San Antonio less than two weeks ago.
The Jazz have turned what was looking like a seven-team battle for the final six playoff spots into an eight-team affair, combining some uncharacteristically explosive offensive performances with the kind of smart, unselfish basketball we’ve come to expect from a Quin Snyder-coached team. While Houston and Golden State (13 losses each) have distanced themselves from the pack, the margin of error continues to get slimmer for the final six spots, with just six losses separating third and tenth place.