Jazz 2020-21 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds and Record Predictions

After making the playoffs in four consecutive seasons, expectations are high for the Utah Jazz entering the 2020-21 campaign. 

Utah hasn't been able to advance past the second round of the playoffs during its postseason streak, but with the duo of All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell and center Rudy Gobert, a strong core is in place and the possibility of a deeper run is present.

The Jazz haven't reached the Western Conference Finals since the 2006-07 season when the late Jerry Sloan was in charge of the team, but current head coach Quin Snyder has the talent needed to get the team back to that level.

Here is a full rundown the Utah's 2020-21 first-half schedule, along with a closer look at the most highly anticipated matchups on its slate and predictions for what it will accomplish next season.

2020-21 Jazz Schedule Details

Season Opener: December 23 vs. Portland Trail Blazers

Championship Odds: +3600 (via FanDuel)

First-Half Schedule: NBA.com

Top Matchups

Denver Nuggets (First Meeting: Jan. 17)

Many expected the Jazz to break through and reach the Western Conference Finals last season, but it was the Denver Nuggets who took that leap forward instead.

Denver fell 4-1 to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, but it overcame 3-1 deficits in the first and second rounds against the Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers, respectively.

The end of Utah's 2019-20 season was a tough pill to swallow for the team and its fans, and there is no question the team will be motivated to gain some measure of revenge by beating the Nuggets the first time they meet next season.

In addition to the fact that the teams duked it out in a seven-game series in the playoffs last season, Jazz vs. Nuggets is an intriguing matchup because the teams are similar in many ways.

Most notably, they boast two of the best inside-outside combinations in the NBA. Utah's pairing of Mitchell and Gobert has been established for some time, while Denver's duo of guard Jamal Murray and center Nikola Jokic took a big step forward last season.

Murray and Jokic were two of the biggest stars of the playoffs outside of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Jimmy Butler, and they figure to be hungry for an encore in 2020-21.

If Mitchell and Gobert can best them and get the Jazz a big win over the Nuggets, it could go a long way toward setting Utah up for success next season.

Los Angeles Lakers (First Meeting: February 24)

After winning a championship last season, the Lakers will be the team to beat in 2020-21.

If the Jazz are going to take the next step and get as far as the Western Conference Finals next season, then beating the Lakers or at least hanging with them would be a sign they may be ready to do so.

The Lakers are the toast of the NBA thanks to the duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, plus they boast a long list of complementary veteran players who make them a difficult team to play against.

Utah has a similar feel, as there is no shortage of depth beyond Mitchell and Gobert. Guard Mike Conley and forward Bojan Bogdanovic lead the way in that regard, while Joe Ingles, Royce O'Neale and Georges Niang bring plenty to the table as well.

The Jazz lost each of their three regular-season meetings with the Lakers last season, and they have plenty to prove and could receive a huge boost by finally picking up a win over L.A.

Utah has been stuck with the "good-but-not-great" label in recent years, but if it can have some success against an elite team such as the Lakers, perhaps it can start to shed that moniker.

Season Forecast

The Jazz have mastered the art of being a good regular-season team, but the next step is translating that success to the playoffs.

Mitchell and Gobert are Utah's best-known commodities, as they are both All-Star players who play their roles well. The former may be able to improve even more on the heels of a season in which he averaged 24.0 points per game, while the latter is a dominant defensive center.

If the Jazz are going to get better as a team, they will need the complementary players to take a leap and provide even more in support of the stars.

Bogdanovic did that last season by averaging a career-high 20.2 points and 3.0 three-pointers made per game. Improving on that could get him in the All-Star conversation.

Conley has never been an All-Star, but he has played close to that level throughout his 13-year NBA career, most of which was spent with the Memphis Grizzlies. He had a career year in 2018-19 with 21.1 points and 6.4 assists per game, but his production dipped with Utah last season to 14.4 points and 4.4 assists.

A return to form by Conley would provide the Jazz with a massive boost and potentially get them to the level of the Lakers and Clippers.

As things stand, a playoff appearance and advancement to the second round are realistic expectations, but the Jazz may be hard-pressed to accomplish anything beyond that.

Record Prediction: 45-27

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