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Utah Jazz – Oklahoma City Thunder: Full first-round schedule

By Jared Woodcox

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - DECEMBER 23: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz go after the loose ball in the first half at Vivint Smart Home Arena on December 23, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - DECEMBER 23: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz go after the loose ball in the first half at Vivint Smart Home Arena on December 23, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images) /
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The schedule is set for what should be a thrilling series between the fifth-seeded Utah Jazz and fourth-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.

The 2018 NBA Playoffs are set to get underway this weekend with four games apiece on both Saturday and Sunday beginning with the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs on Saturday at 1:00 PM MT at Oracle Arena. That series figures to be one of many exhilarating matchups this year.

But of course the one that we’re most excited about here at The J-Notes is none other than the battle between our very own Utah Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite both teams finishing with an identical record of 48-34, the fourth-seeded Thunder edged out the fifth-seeded Utah Jazz in the standings due to owning the regular season series record tiebreaker. OKC defeated Utah 3-1 during the 2017-18 season.

However, the regular season series doesn’t really do this matchup justice as the first game came back in October and the other three were played in December. Rudy Gobert suited up in only two of them and the Thunder’s now-injured perimeter defender extraordinaire Andre Roberson played in all four but won’t be in action in the playoffs.

Not to mention, each contest was played well before Utah’s January turnaround where they would go on to conclude the season as one of the NBA’s hottest teams by finishing the year 29-6. In short, these are not the same two teams that saw each other exclusively in the first half of the season, making the matchup somewhat of a mystery.

We’ve covered the matchup in great detail already here on The J-Notes, with a deep dive on the pros and cons of the series as well as composite predictions for every first-round series, so be sure to check those out for further insight and analysis.

The Jazz and Thunder will begin their series on Sunday afternoon at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. Below is the full series schedule and national TV broadcast info:

  • Game 1: Sunday, April 15 at 4:30 PM MT – Oklahoma City, OK – TNT
  • Game 2: Wednesday, April 18 at 6:00 PM MT – Oklahoma City, OK – NBA TV
  • Game 3: Saturday, April 21 at 8:00 PM MT – Salt Lake City, UT – ESPN
  • Game 4: Monday, April 23 at 8:30 PM MT – Salt Lake City, UT – TNT
  • Game 5 (if necessary): TBA – Oklahoma City, OK
  • Game 6 (if necessary): TBA – Salt Lake City, UT
  • Game 7 (if necessary): TBA – Oklahoma City, OK

The first-round games are also broadcast locally on AT&T Sports Net.

I know I’m biased, but love for the Jazz aside, this truly appears to be one of the most exciting and evenly-matched series of the first round. There are some thrilling individual matchups, two good defenses and a nice “star power” vs. “strength in numbers” story line to keep an eye on.

The Utah Jazz will certainly be in for a challenge against a tough OKC team. Ironically, in many ways this series mirrors the one of last season where the Jazz were able to come out on top against a favored LA Clippers team that held home court advantage and had a 3-1 regular season series edge over Utah.

Next: Utah Jazz: The J-Notes staff composite first round playoff predictions

Ideally, history will repeat itself and the Jazz will provide us with yet another exciting series that will see them advance to the second round of postseason action for the second consecutive year. Regardless of how the playoffs pan out, though, the fact that Utah was able to return to the fifth seed in the West again this season after a turbulent summer makes 2017-18 an absolute success.

And it also signifies that the future for the Utah Jazz is without a doubt bright.

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