Who are the Utah Jazz’s next opponents – New Zealand Breakers?

The Utah Jazz are going to be facing off with the New Zealand Breakers this week, but who are they?

It may surprise you to hear this, but the New Zealand Breakers are a basketball team from, you guessed it, New Zealand. The team plays in the National Basketball League out of Australia, where former Utah Jazz players Dante Exum and Joe Ingles cut their teeth. The Breakers are the only team from New Zealand to play in the NBL, and they’re coming to the United States to take on the Utah Jazz on Oct. 16.

The team has a few noteworthy names. First, there’s former NBA player Anthony Lamb, who had stops with the Houston Rockets, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Golden State Warriors. Then there’s a young Lithuanian “wunderkind” named Mantas Rubstavicius. He helped Lithuania qualify for the World Cup. Then there’s Dane Pineau, their new center who’s coming in to replace recently retired Breakers legend Robert Loe.

Lastly, the team really hyped up the signing of former Charlotte Hornets forward, Mangok
Mathiang. Mathiang played for South Sudan during the World Cup’s preparation round.

Of all the names, it’s Rubstavicius that seems to be getting the most hype, with many in the New Zealand media describing the Lithuanian product as a potential NBA player. His signing was big enough that even ESPN covered it, and with the fact that the Jazz has a propensity to sign international players, it’s very possible that he could end up in Salt Lake City in the not-too-distant future.

The Breakers will take on the Jazz in Salt Lake City at the Delta Center at 9 PM ET/7 PM MT, and fans can watch the game on television with KJZZ, or on the new streaming device Jazz+. Jazz+ is only available to fans in and around the Salt Lake City area.