December 25, 2018: Portland Trail Blazers vs. Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz will be playing an NBA basketball game on Christmas Day.
Just let that soak in…
I guess we have Donovan Mitchell to thank for this. Last Christmas, Mitchell tweeted out that he wants to see a Jazz game on Christmas in the future. Lo and behold, here we are! We can also thank him for his becoming a star, as that almost certainly played into the decision by the schedulers.
https://twitter.com/spidadmitchell/status/1027045431325290496
Much like the NFL and Thanksgiving, the NBA has long dominated Christmas Day. It has always been reserved for biggest stars and the best teams in the league. So for the Jazz to have a game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Christmas really is a huge deal.
The matchup should be great as well. The Trail Blazers were the number 3 team in the West last season, just one game ahead of the Jazz. Although they are largely running it all back, similar to the Jazz, many are predicting that they will drop in the standings. Las Vegas’ Westgate Sportsbook set the Blazers over/under at 41.5 wins, seven games below what they accomplished last year.
They’ll be looking to use that as motivation, and with CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard, you always have to bring your A-game. The Jazz split the season series last year against the Blazers, winning the first two, and losing the last two.
The game will be played in Salt Lake City, and it is the first time in 20 years that the Jazz have played on Christmas. If I were you, I’d know exactly what I am asking Santa Clause for Christmas this year.