Utah Jazz regular season schedule announced
Aug 10, 2018, 4:31 PM
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz has released the team’s 2018-2019 NBA regular season schedule, which includes 17 nationally broadcasted games on ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV.
The opening game for the Jazz is at the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 17., and the first home game will be facing the back-to-back champions, the Golden State Warriors, two days later on Oct. 19.
It’s heeeerrrree ⤵️
Full schedule 🗓 https://t.co/6A4X7FGaU6 pic.twitter.com/SXdMhhr2b7
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) August 10, 2018
Utah has historically played well against this iteration of the Warriors, winning 3 out of 4 games in the 2017-2018 season, and with Coach of the Year Candidate Quinn Snyder at the helm, the team will look to continue that hot streak as they brace for another successful regular season run.
Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
While many NBA fans in Utah have taken note of the team’s progression in a stacked Western Conference, those outside of the state are less familiar with the team’s projected ceiling due to a slower paced offense and a defense that emphasizes a “grit-and-grind” style, leading to a “less-than-flashy” television product.
Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
That general concept has appeared to shift in a different direction as many analysts and executives are doubling down on the Jazz as a true playoff contender, with many considering the young team to be in contention with the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
On the Full 48 podcast, hosted by Howard Beck, former Cleveland Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin was questioned on offseason improvements surrounding contenders in the West and went on to say, “I love the Utah Jazz and why we don’t think they’re the second best team in the west at this point, given the fact that Houston, in my mind, has appreciably changed the way they play and the fit of their pieces could be appreciably different.”
Griffin(@dg_riff) later went on to say, "For whatever reason, NBA fans just aren't taking this team seriously and I think they are a big time threat in large part because they have continuity." regarding the young @utahjazz.
— Josh Tilton (@JoshTilton) August 10, 2018
The schedule’s release comes after the news that the team will be featured on Christmas Day, slotted for 8:30 pm. M.T. against the Portland Trailblazers.
The last time the Jazz were showcased on that coveted day was back in 1997 against the Houston Rockets, with a team led by John Stockton and Karl Malone.
Along with next year’s Christmas Day game, the team is set to be featured on NBA TV, where the Jazz will play against the Orlando Magic in Mexico City on December 15th, as the league attempts to branch out internationally.
Single-game tickets are set to go on sale on Aug. 16, and group tickets are scheduled to release on Aug. 22.
