Best, Toughest, Most Emotional Matchups For The Utah Jazz 2019-20 Season

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – It’s the beginning of the hype surrounding the NBA as the association released the 2019-20 schedule.

Utah will open the season at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 23, who traded their two star players Russell Westbrook to Houston and Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers. The most notable player they received in the trades is Chris Paul.

Their first road game will be on National TV against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 25 on ESPN.

Here is a deep dive into the Jazz schedule for the upcoming season:

Blockbusters

Fans circle the games with notable superstars on the opposing teams as the games they want to attend. The Jazz will have plenty of them with the Western Conference as tough as it is.

Oct. 30 vs. LA Clippers – It’s the third home game of the regular season for the Jazz after playing the Oklahoma City Thunder and Sacramento Kings. The Clippers significantly improved their roster by signing Kawhi Leonard and acquiring Paul George via trade. Those moves have launched the Clippers into championship contender conversation.

Nov. 6 vs. Philadelphia 76ers –  The Sixers come to town as a legit contender to win the Eastern Conference. They were able to bring back Tobias Harris to join Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, while signing Al Horford from Boston as a free agent.

Nov. 8 vs. Milwaukee Bucks – Two days after hosting the Sixers, Utah will be tasked to face the Milwaukee Bucks, who won the Eastern Conference in the regular season before falling to Toronto in the conference finals. They have reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo along with Brook Lopez, Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton.

Nov. 12 vs. Brooklyn Nets – This game will be even bigger next season, when Kevin Durant will be back from his Achilles injury. The Nets signed Kyrie Irving and athletic big man DeAndre Jordan.

Nov. 22 vs. Golden State Warriors –  Although Kevin Durant isn’t on the roster and Klay Thompson is recovering from a torn ACL, the Warriors are still a really good team with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and D’Angelo Russell.

Nov. 25 vs. New Orleans Pelicans – The first time that Jazz fans will see No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson at Vivint Smart Home Arena. That will probably be overlooked due to the return of former Jazzman Derrick Favors to Salt Lake City for the first time since being traded by the Jazz. The Pelicans also have young talent in Jrue Holiday, Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram.

Dec. 4 vs. Los Angeles Lakers – Jazz fans will see the revamped roster that the Los Angeles Lakers have put together to team up with LeBron James. They acquired Anthony Davis in a trade with New Orleans, signed DeMarcus Cousins, Danny Green and Avery Bradley. The big plus that many are not talking about is keeping former Ute Kyle Kuzma on the roster and not sending him to New Orleans with the three players that were dealt in the Davis trade.

Here is the entire regular season schedule for the Jazz. #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/xduwh322YA

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) August 12, 2019

Dynamic Duos

The teams listed above have probably the best duos in the NBA, but these are ones that are notable duos that will be relied heavily by their teams to be successful.

Jan. 25 vs. Dallas Mavericks – It will be the first time that the Mavericks will have reigning Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis on the floor together after the Knicks traded Porzingis to the Mavericks last season and recovering from an ACL injury from the previous season.

Jan. 27 vs. Houston Rockets – The Oklahoma City Thunder hit the restart button on their franchise after trading their two star players with one landing with the Houston Rockets. Russell Westbrook and James Harden are reunited from their days with the Thunder. A lot of question marks on how they will play together but are still a great backcourt duo.

Feb. 5 vs. Denver Nuggets – Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic took the NBA by storm last season by carrying the Nuggets to the No. 2-seed in the Western Conference and one win away from a trip to the conference finals.

Feb. 7 vs. Portland Trail Blazers – One of the high caliber backcourt tandems in the NBA has Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum in the conversation. This season won’t be any different. A duo that can give their opponents fits.

Toughest Stretches

November 6-12 – This stretch would be very difficult if all of them were on the road. The Jazz have four games against teams that are very good and have high expectations. Luckily, three of the four games are at home. The Jazz will host the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks before traveling to Golden State and ending the stretch on the second night of a back-to-back at home against the Brooklyn Nets.

November 22-December 4 – Utah will have to grind out some wins during this stretch beginning at home with back-to-back games against the Warriors and Pelicans at home. They will then go on a five-game road trip beginning in Milwaukee. The Jazz will face the Pacers and Grizzlies in a three day span, followed by a back-to-back with Toronto and Philadelphia. Utah will end the tough stretch at home against the Lakers.

January 27-February 9 – The Jazz will start this stretch at home against the Rockets before playing back-to-back road games in San Antonio and Denver. They will end a three-game road trip in Portland before playing the Nuggets and Blazers at home and ending the stretch against the Rockets on the road.

Month-By-Month

Here is how the schedule breaks out by month and the 2018-19 records for their opponents.

• October – 3 home, 2 road – 192-218 W-L record
• November – 6 home, 8 road – 432-373 W-L record
• December – 7 home, 7 road – 612-536 W-L record
• January – 6 home, 9 road – 559-589 W-L record
• February – 8 home, 3 road – 380-358 W-L record
• March – 8 home, 8 road – 504-644 W-L record
• April – 3 home, 4 road – 242-250 W-L record

National TV

The Jazz will play on national TV 16 times, with 10 games on ESPN and 6 games on TNT.

• October 25 at Los Angeles Lakers on ESPN
• October 30 vs. Los Angeles Clippers on ESPN
• November 15 at Memphis Grizzlies on ESPN
• December 13 vs. Golden State Warriors on ESPN
• December 26 vs. Portland Trail Blazers on TNT
• January 22 at Golden State Warriors on ESPN
• January 30 at Denver Nuggets on TNT
• February 5 vs. Denver Nuggets on ESPN
• February 7 vs. Portland Trail Blazers on ESPN
• February 26 vs. Boston Celtics on ESPN
• March 6 at Boston Celtics on ESPN
• March 18 at Los Angeles Lakers on ESPN
• March 24 vs. San Antonio Spurs on TNT
• April 2 at Portland Trail Blazers on TNT
• April 7 vs. Los Angeles Clippers on TNT
• April 14 vs. Denver Nuggets on TNT

Emotional Ties

November 8 vs. Milwaukee – Jazz fan favorite Kyle Korver will play his only game in Salt Lake City as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. He was traded to Memphis after his second stint with the Jazz. Korver was then traded to the Phoenix Suns and was waived and later signed by the Bucks as a free agent.

November 15 at Memphis – New Utah Jazz point guard Mike Conley will return to Memphis for the first time since getting traded. Conley spent 12 seasons with the Grizzlies before the Jazz acquired him in exchange for Jae Crowder, Grayson Allen, Kyle Korver and two first round draft picks.

November 23 vs. New Orleans – Derrick Favors will make his first appearance in Utah since being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Jazz and Pelicans will face each other in preseason action in New Orleans. It will also be the first time that No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson will be playing in Utah.

December 7 vs. Memphis – Jae Crowder will make his first appearance in Utah since being traded to Memphis. He played one and a half seasons with the Jazz after the Cleveland Cavaliers traded him to Utah.

February 24 vs. Phoenix – Former point guard Ricky Rubio will play his first game in Salt Lake City against the Jazz with the Phoenix Suns. Utah will face the Suns in Phoenix on October 28. Rubio played two seasons with the Jazz after getting traded by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

February 26 vs. Boston – Former Jazz All-Star Gordon Hayward and the Boston Celtics will play their only game in Utah.