The Utah Jazz are back at the Delta Center on Friday night for their first of 41 home dates in the 2026-27 season, with the New Orleans Pelicans coming to Salt Lake City for a 7:30 p.m. MT tip.
It’s Utah’s first regular-season game in the building since the end of its previous campaign in April, and this version of the Jazz should look a lot different than the group that last walked off that floor. The roster is healthier, more rested, and chasing a cleaner start after Wednesday’s blowout loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
For Keyonte George, the night carries a little extra energy. He spent the hours before tipoff talking glowingly about the home crowd and made it clear he’s eager to get back in front of Jazz fans.
“It’s going to be great to be back,” George said of the Jazz’s season opener. “I've said it on the record: I feel like we've got the best fans in the league.
They show up, they're loud. Everybody's in their seats when the game starts.”
“I just think we've got something special here in Utah... So, I mean, first one, let's make a good impression on them.”
George doubled down on that sentiment when speaking about the fans he’ll be playing in front of all season.
“I’m always excited to play in the 801, bro,” George said. “The fans, they've been here since I've been here.
They're in their seats ready to watch the game from start to end. Every time we've got a home game, it's hard for me to sleep at night.
I'm just ready to get out there, man.”
“The lights, the smoke, everything that we do in the Delta, I'm always excited to play in the 801, man. Every time.”
There’s already plenty of buzz around Friday’s opener, and part of it comes from the chance for Utah fans to see rookie Darryn Peterson in an official regular-season game for the first time. If the Jazz can turn the page from Wednesday and give the home crowd something to latch onto, the building figures to be loud early.
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