NBA Power Rankings, Dec. 12 Edition: Some Shuffling In The Top 5
By Phil Watson
Dec 9, 2013; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz point guard Alec Burks (10) dunks during the first half against the Portland Trail Blazers at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
30. Utah Jazz (5-19)
Last Week: 1-3
Previous Ranking: 29
Well, That Didn’t Last Long: The Jazz had just climbed out of the basement last week, but they’re back at the bottom now. Utah did get forward Marvin Williams back from a heel injury for their win at Sacramento Wednesday night. But the Jazz have looked better since rookie Trey Burke came back and they do have a couple of attractive expiring contracts—Williams and Brandon Rush—they can dangle as assets, so all is not lost. Well, except for a lot of games.
The Week That Was: The Jazz lost at Portland 130-98 on Friday, lost in overtime to the Kings 112-102 on Saturday, lost to the Trail Blazers again 105-94 on Monday and won the return trip to Sacramento 122-101 on Wednesday.
The Numbers: 45% FG, 43.3% 3PT (4th), 82.8% FT (4th), 42.8 RPG, 13.3 TOPG (t-4th), 104 PPG
The Opponents: 47.1% FG, 42.9% 3PT (28th), 85.2% FT, 45.8 RPG, 13.5 TOPG, 112 PPG (30th)
The Leaders: Alec Burks 18 PPG, Jeremy Evans 8 RPG, Trey Burke 5.5 APG, Enes Kanter 1.5 SPG, Derrick Favors 2 BPG (2 games), Burks 27-for-50 (54%) FG, Burks 5-for-8 (62.5%) 3FG
Don’t! Shooters: Trey Burke 17-for-48 (35.4%) FG, Burke 4-for-15 (26.7%) 3FG