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SALT LAKE CITY — The Jazz, along with the rest of the NBA, announced their 2017-18 regular season schedule on Monday afternoon, and there are a few points of intrigue.
The season opener takes place at home in Utah on Oct. 18, when the Jazz will take on the Denver Nuggets. That opener comes more than a week earlier than opening games in the past, as the season has been elongated by a week to reduce schedule congestion. It is the league’s earliest start since 1980.
There are fewer back-to-backs as a result, and no four-games-in-five-night stretches in any team's schedule for the first time.
The Jazz's first encounter with former All-Star Gordon Hayward will take place in Boston on Dec. 15, followed by Hayward's first stop in Utah on March 28.
The Jazz have 11 games on national TV this season: two on TNT, five on ESPN and four scheduled on NBATV. They'll have 16 back to back games: four away/home, six away/away, three home/home, and three home/away sets.
The season begins with 10 out of the first 14 games at home, giving fans an early look at the renovations completed to Vivint Arena. Then, the Jazz travel on the road frequently in December, including a six-game road trip visiting some of the NBA's best teams, such as Cleveland and Houston.
But in February, the Jazz stay at home for six consecutive games, from Feb. 12 to Feb 26. That straddles the league's All-Star break.
This article will be updated throughout the afternoon.
