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The Chicago Bulls are on a bit of a roll, winning three straight games and sitting atop the Central Division with a record of 11-8. The Bulls' hot streak has made them a consensus top-10 team in the NBA, according to most pundits from around the league.
In the latest batch of power rankings, the Bulls find themselves as high as eighth, with ESPN's Marc Stein giving Chicago that distinction. Stein moved the Bulls up one spot from No. 9 last week. No. 9 is where NBA.com's John Schuhmann has the Bulls this week, up three spots from last week.
SB Nation's Seth Rosenthal kept the Bulls steady at No. 10, citing strong defense and the emergence of Marco Belinelli as a key to their success:
With the exception of a near-disaster in Detroit (praise be to Joakim Noah), Chicago's defense looks back where it's supposed to be. The Bulls kicked off a harsh stretch of a schedule by dismantling a Melo-less but still dangerous Knicks offense on Saturday. Meanwhile, I don't know what's gotten into Marco Belinelli, but I imagine the Bulls would like to keep it in there.
Sporting News' Sean Deveney also has the Bulls at No. 10.
There is a little disagreement over what the top team in the league is, but none over which are in the top two. Rosenthal and Stein both have the San Antonio Spurs on top and the Oklahoma City Thunder second, while Schuhmann and Deveney have the exact opposite.