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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

Once again, the Northwest Division is the most competitive among all the others in the NBA. Even last season, four teams from this division alone made it to the playoffs, and the Denver Nuggets became the Western Conference finalists. However, the Nuggets had to stomp over the Utah Jazz to get there, and they did so, brutally.

The Utah Jazz fell prey to the Nuggets’ quest of overcoming a 3-1 deficit. But it seems like the Jazz has championship ambitions this season and by forming an even better team this offseason, one can’t say that Utah doesn’t have a chance at all.

As the new season begins on December 22, Utah Jazz has made their partial schedule announcement very creatively on Twitter. They’ve made the entire video look like a battle in video games. Their fixtures start from December 23 to March 3, in this unique 72-game schedule.

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Top Matchups

Jazz vs. Blazers

Their season opener will have them face to face with the Portland Trail Blazers. Although they won two of the three games against them last season, they did struggle to slow down Damian Lillard. This is exactly what happened with the Nuggets.

Their inability to stop top scoring guard like Jamal Murray led to their premature exit from the Bubble. So, this will be a good test of whether the Jazz solved issues on their defensive end.

Jazz vs. Nuggets

What’s better than putting the Jazz against a team who humiliated them last season, recovering from a 3-1 deficit. However, the Nuggets had one of the worst offseasons this year. So, with new stars like Bogdan Bogdanovic and Mike Conley, it’s likely that the Jazz will get to take revenge on them.

USA Today via Reuters

Jazz vs. Lakers

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Utah just didn’t know how to tackle the Lakers, losing all three meetings against the reigning champions last season. With a very active offseason, the Lakers have also done some roster re-building themselves. They are the favorites to repeat as title holders, so it won’t be easy for the Jazz to match up to that.

The two only meet once in the first half of the released schedule. But this could be an eye-opener for the Utah Jazz about where they stand in contention.

Utah Jazz partial schedule for the 2021 season

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Dec 12 (7:00 pm EST)

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Phoenix Suns(Preseason)Jan 26 (7:00 pm EST)

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New York Knicks
Dec 14 (7:00 pm EST)

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Phoenix Suns(Preseason)Jan 27 (7:00 pm EST)

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Dallas Mavericks

Dec 17 (8:00 pm EST)

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LA Clippers(Preseason)Jan 29 (8:00 pm EST)

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Dallas Mavericks
Dec 23 (7:00 pm EST)

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Portland Trail BlazersJan 31 (1:30 pm EST)

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Denver Nuggets

Dec 26 (6:00 pm EST)

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Minnesota TimberwolvesFeb 2 (7:00 pm EST)

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Detroit Pistons
Dec 28 (7:00 pm EST)

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Oklahoma City ThunderFeb 4 (5:30 pm EST)

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Atlanta Hawks

Dec 31 (7:00 pm EST)

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Phoenix SunsFeb 5 (5:00 pm EST)

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Charlotte Hornets

Jan 1 (5:00 pm EST)

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LA ClippersFeb 7 (11:00 am EST)

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Indiana Pacers

Jan 3 (5:30 pm EST)

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San Antonio SpursFeb 9 (8:00 pm EST)

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Boston Celtics
Jan 5 (5:30 pm EST)

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Brooklyn NetsFeb 12 (7:00 pm EST)

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Milwaukee Bucks

Jan 6 (6:00 pm EST)

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New York KnicksFeb 13 (7:00 pm EST)

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Miami Heat
Jan 8 (1:00 pm EST)

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Milwaukee BucksFeb 15 (7:00 pm EST)

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Philadelphia 76ers

Jan 10 (5:30 pm EST)

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Detroit PistonsFeb 17 (8:00 pm EST)

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LA Clippers
Jan 12 (5:00 pm EST)

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Cleveland CavaliersFeb 19 (8:00 pm EST)

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LA Clippers

Jan 13 (7:00 pm EST)

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Washington WizardsFeb 22 (7:00 pm EST)

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Charlotte Hornets
Jan 15 (6:00 pm EST)

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Atlanta HawksFeb 24 (8:00 pm EST)

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Los Angeles Lakers

Jan 17 (7:00 pm EST)

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Denver NuggetsFeb 26  (6:00 pm EST)

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Miami Heat

Jan 19 (8:00 pm EST)

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New Orleans PelicansFeb 27 (5:30 pm EST)

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Orlando Magic

Jan 21 (3:00 pm EST)

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New Orleans PelicansMarch 1 (6:00 pm EST)

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New Orleans Pelicans

Jan 23 (7:00 pm EST)

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Golden State WarriorsMarch 3 (5:00 pm EST)

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Philadelphia 76ers