Utah Jazz schedule release: Five takeaways from 82-game NBA slate
Aug 13, 2026, 1:52 PM
A general view of the Delta Center during the first half of an NBA game between the Utah Jazz and the Memphis Grizzlies in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 10, 2026. 9Photo courtesy of Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — The NBA released its full schedule for the 2026-27 regular season on Thursday, and 80 of the Utah Jazz’s 82 games have been unveiled.
The final two games will be added at a later date, depending on the results of the NBA Cup. Since nearly 98 percent of Utah’s games are now out, let’s break down the full slate.
RELATED: Utah Jazz NBA Cup schedule – Dates, times unveiled for group-play
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Utah Jazz Schedule: NBA Unveils 2026-27 Calendar
Opening & Closing Acts
After the NBA regular season officially opens on Tuesday, October 20, the Utah Jazz will open their season on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, October 21.
Utah’s first 10 games are evenly split with five on the road and five at home. The first game at Delta Center comes on Friday, October 23 against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Fast forward to the final month, it will also be an even split in the final ten. However, four of the last five games of the season come at home. The final game of the season will be on the road against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, April 11.
Game 1 of 82:
@ Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, October 21
Jaren Jackson Jr. will play in Grind City for the first time as a member of the Utah Jazz.#TakeNote | @kslsports
— Chandler Holt (@CHoltSports) August 13, 2026
Longest Road Trips, Homestands
The Jazz have four homestands that stretch four or more games. Two of which are exactly four, one reaches five, and the longest stands at six games.
- Five games (NO, LAL, MEM, SAS, POR) from October 23 to October 31.
- Four games (MIL, GSW, MEM, CLE) from January 26 to February 1.
- Six games (HOU, SAC, ATL, MIN, TOR, PHI) from March 10 to March 23.
- Four games (POR, OKC, NO, LAC) from April 4 to April 9.
On the other side, there are three road trips that span four or more games. Two four-game trips and one that reaches five.
- Four games (SAS, NO, DAL, MIN) from November 2 to November 8.
- Four games (CHI, BOS, CLE, NYK) from December 16 to December 23.
- Five games (NO, MIL, ORL, WAS, PHI) from March 1 to March 8.
Noteworthy Stretches
The final five games of the season all come against West opponents.
Depending on where the Jazz stand in the conference, those five games against Portland, Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Los Angeles Clippers. and Golden State could prove to hold massive postseason implications.
The Jazz have six nationally broadcast games in 2026-27. Three of which come in the month of February. Six of the 10 games in the month are on the road, and five are against Western Conference opponents.
Six national broadcast games for the Utah Jazz this year.
11/17 @ LAC
12/1 @ GSW
1/19 @ DEN
2/3 @ HOU
2/9 vs. HOU
2/27 vs. WAS#TakeNote | @kslsports— Chandler Holt (@CHoltSports) August 13, 2026
Key Matchups
After a long four years of rebuilding, the Jazz are aiming to make it back to the postseason. If they achieve that goal, they will likely slide into the fifth to tenth-seed range.
Regardless of the landing spot, that would pit them against one of the top teams in the Western Conference.
Here are all of the matchups against the best in the West that could serve as a playoff preview:
San Antonio Spurs
- vs. SAS on Wednesday, October 28
- @ SAS on Monday, November 2
- vs. SAS on Sunday, November 15
Oklahoma City Thunder
- @ OKC on Saturday, January 2
- @ OKC on Friday, January 15
- vs. OKC on Tuesday, March 30
- vs. OKC on Tuesday, April 6
Denver Nuggets
- vs. DEN on Friday, November 27 (NBA Cup game)
- vs. DEN on Saturday, December 12
- @ DEN on Tuesday, January 19
- @ DEN on Wednesday, February 17
Minnesota Timberwolves
- @ MIN on Sunday, November 8
- vs. MIN on Monday, December 14
- @ MIN on Sunday, February 7
- vs. MIN on Thursday, March 18
Los Angeles Lakers
- vs. LAL on Sunday, October 25
- @ LAL on Wednesday, November 18
- @ LAL on Monday, November 23
Other noteworthy home games include the New York Knicks on December 30, the Philadelphia 76ers on March 23, and the Miami Heat on November 10.
Also, debatably the game of the year for Utah comes on Saturday, February 27, against the Washington Wizards. The first bout between AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson in Delta Center will be nationally televised on Prime Video.
Breaks In The Action
With the marathon that is the NBA season, unhelped by the 13 back-to-backs on Utah’s schedule, any extended breaks are appreciated by the players.
The first isn’t a true break, as games will eventually fill the gap at least somewhat. But as of right now, there are no games on the Jazz schedule from December 3 to December 12 for the NBA Cup.
The next is for All-Star weekend. From February 17 to February 25, there will be no Jazz basketball.
Smaller spurts of time off are sporadic. There are a total of 10 instances where the Jazz will be off for two to three days, and one where they get to enjoy four days off (March 13 to March 16).
