Utah Jazz: Regular-season schedule unveiled

The Utah Jazz will open up the 2009-10 regular season with a rivalry game against the team that knocked them off of the top of the Northwest Division.

And, like 20 other games, this contest will be available for a national audience.

This opener — on Wednesday, Oct. 28 in Denver — will be one of eight ESPN games for Utah. The Jazz have a total of 21 nationally televised games, including five TNT broadcasts and another eight to be shown on NBA TV.

For the second year in a row, the Jazz will kick off their 82-game NBA schedule against the Nuggets. The Jazz beat the Carmelo Anthony-less Nuggets in the 2008-09 opener at home, 98-94.

The Jazz, who just released their entire schedule late this morning, will return to Utah for its first game at EnergySolutions Arena on Oct. 30 against top pick Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers.

As usual, Utah will face each Eastern Conference team twice — once at home, once away — and the Jazz will play all but four Western Conference squads four times. Utah didn't exactly get any favors from NBA schedule-makers in the sense that it will only face Memphis, Sacramento and Golden State — teams not expected to be contenders — three times apiece. The Jazz also only face Dallas three times, including twice in Texas.

The good news for Utah is that it has fewer back-to-back sets than last year. Playing on consecutive nights proved to be one of Utah's Achilles heels a year ago — the Jazz went 3-18 on the second night in such situations — but only have 19 back-to-back sets compared to 21 last year.

As for their road adventures, it could get kind of scary at times if the Jazz don't improve there as well. Utah has four trips away from the Beehive State of at least four games, including the annual pre-Christmas Eastern swing. That East Coast trip will see the Jazz playing five teams in eight nights, with stops at New Jersey (Dec. 16), Atlanta (Dec. 18), Charlotte (Dec. 19), Orlando (Dec. 21) and Miami (Dec. 23).

The Jazz, who struggled to a 15-26 record away from Utah last season, end the upcoming year with a slew of road games again. Utah only plays at home seven times (of 17 games) in March, and will be the visitors in 14 of their final 23 games.