What is the Best Christmas Day Game in Jazz History?

Christmas and the NBA have been synonymous since the league’s inception. The very first Christmas Day game was played in 1947 at Madison Square Garden between the New York Knicks and Providence Steam Rollers. The Utah Jazz themselves have been a part of this great Christmas tradition, playing eight games on the beloved holiday. 

Jazz fans have fond memories of the six wins and probably have forgotten the two losses they’ve sustained throughout, but which is the best Jazz Christmas game? To commemorate this holiday tradition, The Lead has done its research to rank these Jazz Christmas games from worst to best. 

Disclaimer: there are only a select few games that have footage to go with them. Each game was ranked by the story behind it, how the game played out, and what players made the biggest impact.

No. 7 and No. 8

When it came to the most lackluster of the games, the Jazz vs the Phoenix Suns was the worst.

The game was played on Dec. 25, 1982, and the Jazz found themselves struggling to defend throughout the game. At one point in the third quarter, they were down by at least 20. They did manage a small comeback, but it wasn’t enough with the score being 111-101, Suns. 

The only bright spots in that game were the combined effort of Jeff Wilkins, Ben Poquette, and Danny Schayes, scoring 58 of the Jazz’s 101 points. Number seven is the Jazz vs the San Antonio Spurs. 

The seventh-place game on this list was played on Dec 25, 1977, against the Spurs (one of the last years the Jazz were in New Orleans). This game was between two 70s basketball heavyweights, Pistol Pete Maravich and George Gervin. 

Though the Jazz were never really close to winning, they weren’t blown out, and it was a little closer in score. Maravich led the Jazz with 27 points, four steals, and four rebounds. Gervin led the Spurs with 31 points, two blocks, five assists, and one steal. The game also gets bonus points for being the last Christmas game for the Jazz before the move to Utah.

No. 6

For it being the first Christmas Day game, one would think this game would be ranked higher. However, the games to come stand out more in overall story and excitement. On Dec 25, 1975, the Jazz barely beat the Rockets 101-99.

The Jazz had a record of 11-18, though it didn’t stop them from punching above their weight. What the game lacked in story points, it earned in style points – the game was a slugfest between the two teams. 

The Jazz controlled the first half of the game, then the Rockets stormed back to take the lead in the third quarter. Magic happened in the fourth, and the Jazz squeaked by to secure the two-point win over the Rockets. Any game ending with a winning shot is worth watching. Sadly, there was no found footage of the game. 

The leading scorer for the Jazz was Louie Nelson with 21 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. Maravich scored 19 points and added four assists to the cause. 

No. 5

The fifth pick barely passed the sixth pick by being the Jazz’s first Christmas win in the twenty-first century. The year 2018 marked a new beginning for the Jazz as Gordon Hayward left for Boston and Donovan Mitchell became Utah’s new star.

On Dec 25, 2018, the league decided to give this exciting young Jazz core a chance on Santa’s big day. They were paired with a Portland Trail Blazers team, looking to prove their dominance.

Style points for this game were quite low. The first half was quite close, with Damian Lillard putting the Blazers on his back. He ended up with a stat line of 20 points, four assists, and five rebounds. 

Once the Jazz got control of the game in the second half, they didn’t look back. However, player contributions were quite huge.

Defensive beast Rudy Gobert had 18 points, 14 rebounds, and seven blocks. He was aided by Mitchell’s 19 points, two assists, and two rebounds. Even NBA legend Joe Ingles contributed 15 points to the Jazz’s win. Any game with Ingles deserves to be higher on the list.

No. 4

This next game had both Jazz and LA Lakers greats going toe-to-toe with each other. Even though it was a blowout victory, the Jazz beating the Lakers alone makes this game legendary. 

The game was a precursor to an amazing Western Conference Semifinals series between the two bruisers that same year. Magic Johnson had a good game of 18 points, 10 assists, three steals, and five rebounds.

Karl Malone showed the league he was Him with 31 points, two steals, and 12 rebounds. Current Jazz color analyst Thurl Bailey added 22 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Not only did fans see great individual performances, but they also got to see a shoving match between Malone and Johnson. This further added to this game’s repertoire.

No. 3

Played on Christmas Day 1979, the third spot is a story full of triumph and heartbreak.

The Jazz won pretty handily against their Rocky Mountain neighbors, the Denver Nuggets. How they did it was quite phenomenal. It was a tight game through the second and third quarters. With the game on the line, the Jazz had two heroes emerge to lead them to victory. 

The first player was Jazz all-timer Adrian Dantley, who came in to score 27 points and four assists. The second player to make his impact was a little-known shooting guard named Terry Furlow, who ended up scoring 37 points, five assists, and two rebounds. It was the best game of Furlow’s career. 

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the biggest impact he made on the league. In the waking hours of May 23, 1980, after partying, Furlow crashed into a utility pole, killing him on impact. Drugs were found in his system.

Lakers legend Johnson was a pallbearer at his funeral – a stark reminder of how fragile life is and how important the holidays are to see family members and friends.

https://twitter.com/E_Woodyard/status/948280650104168448?s=20

No. 2

The second-best game was set at the height of the Jazz renaissance in the early 2020s.

The Jazz were set to face the Dallas Mavericks on Dec 25, 2021. Having their best record in years, the three-seeded Jazz were looking to show the league who they were. The Mavericks, on the other hand, were full of a young core trying to prove themselves.

The game was like two heavyweights dealing blows. The Mavericks would control the game, then the Jazz would make a run. Mitchell had a heyday even while being hampered by an injury, scoring 33 points, three assists, and three steals. 

Kristaps Porzingis and Jalen Brunson feasted on smaller defenders, scoring a combined 54 points. It took a combined effort from Mitchell, the Flamethrower Jordan Clarkson, and the rest of the starting core to win in the fourth quarter.

Out of all of the games, this was one of the most entertaining, with both teams having trouble keeping a lead. It also had great performances from individual players. 

No. 1

It was tough to decide between the number one and number two picks. Both were great games and featured great performances. However, number one was a better game with Jazz greats playing to their fullest. Much like pick two, the number one game was a back-and-forth conundrum.

Both the Jazz and Rockets were getting a piece of each other in the early half of the season. On Christmas Day, 1997, fans got to see a preview of an iconic playoff series. It wasn’t until the third quarter that the Jazz managed to keep a small lead. 

The Rockets weren’t done and ended up coming back to tie the Jazz 101-101 in the fourth quarter. John Stockton took over and scored four major points to put the team ahead. Kevin Willis answered back with a tip-shot to put the Rockets within striking distance. Bryon Russell struggled off the bench but drew a foul to shoot two free throws to ice the game.

Stockton scored 24 points and tallied three assists, while Malone added 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Jeff Hornacek made a huge contribution as well with 20 points and nine assists. 

Not only did Stockton, Malone, and Hornacek outduel the likes of Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, and Willis, but it was a glimpse of a great Western Conference finals matchup, showing why this game is worthy of the number one pick.