On Wednesday, the NBA announced two marquee nationally-televised games for the Utah Jazz. First, the team’s home opener will see the Jazz face off against the defending champion Golden State Warriors on Friday, Oct. 19, scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on ESPN.
But there’s even bigger news: the Jazz will play on Christmas Day for the first time in 21 years. They’ll host Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers on the day’s final game, broadcast on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. It’s only the Jazz’s second Christmas Day game since 1982.
They’ve had success on Christmas, though. Back in 1997, Utah’s last Christmas matchup, the Jazz defeated the Houston Rockets 107-103.