How to watch Utah Jazz vs. Memphis Grizzlies: Game preview, storylines

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Utah Jazz open their 2026-27 campaign tonight in Memphis against the Grizzlies.

The season opener is chockful of storylines as the franchise turns the corner and looks to make the postseason for the first time since the 2021-22 season.

Find information on streaming and more below.

🚨 OUR SEASON STARTS TODAY 🚨

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— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 21, 2026

Utah vs. Memphis Storylines

• The NBA debut for Darryn Peterson (and Cam Boozer)
  • The No. 2 and No. 3 overall picks in the 2026 NBA Draft play their first pro games at FedEx Forum tonight. Both were starters in preseason and will look to lead their team to a win in game one of 82.
• Jaren Jackson Jr. makes his return to Memphis
  • JJJ came back to the 901 last year as a member of the Jazz and got a tribute video, but he did not suit up as it came after his season-ending surgery. Tonight, he will play in his old home arena for the first time.
• Jazz look to start strong
  • There is no question that the Jazz are looking to play basketball later than mid-April this season. Utah has a relatively soft landing to start the year, but you have to win each game in front of you. The Jazz are projected to be a better team than the Grizz, but it is absolutely a losable game on the road.

The Utah Jazz play (regular season) basketball today.

— Chandler Holt (@CHoltSports) October 21, 2026

What I’m Looking For

• The rotation, specifically at the center position
  • All signs point to the starting lineup being Keyonte George, Darryn Peterson, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jaxson Hayes tonight. But who will make up the second unit? And with Jusuf Nurkic out and Tony Bradley potentially out as well, who fills those five minutes? Does Jaxson Hayes approach 30? How many minutes do JJJ and Kyle Filipowski play at the center? All of those are questions will get at least a partial answer tonight.
• Shot distribution
  • The totem pole already started to form in the preseason but I will be looking to see if that stays the same against Memphis tonight. Of course, a one game sample size should hold little to no weight. But seeing where the Jazz’s shots and scoring opportunities are coming from can be useful. Does Lauri lead the team in FGA? Who takes more shots between Jaren and Key? A picture will start being painted tonight.
• Young player impact on winning
  • Peterson and Ace Bailey are two of the most intriguing players on this Jazz team, but it’s no secret that first- and second-year players typically do little in the way of impacting winning. But both Ace and DP can have a big game on any given night, and both have shown some two-way ability. The Jazz youngsters could buck that trend and prove to be necessary rotation pieces, not just for their potential, but for their impact nightly.

How To Watch, Stream, Listen To Utah Jazz Games

Utah Jazz fans can watch the team’s games next season for free over the air on KJZZ TV and can stream the games through a paid streaming-based platform on the team’s website. KJZZ is currently broadcast on channel 14.1.

The Smith Entertainment Group’s (SEG) streaming platform will also continue to carry games on both SEG+ and Jazz+ in 2026-27.

Listen To Utah Jazz Games

All Utah Jazz games will be broadcast live on the KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM). Occasionally, KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM / 1160 AM) will pick up Jazz games as well.

Chandler Holt is a Utah Jazz insider for KSLSports.com and co-host of the Jazz Notes podcast. Follow Chandler on X for Jazz and NBA updates.

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