Utah Jazz vs Phoenix Suns: How to Watch, Odds and Game Preview (October 16)

The Utah Jazz have one final preseason game Friday night before taking on the Memphis Grizzlies in their regular-season opener Wednesday of next week. This final tune-up will take place on the road against the Phoenix Suns, with Utah entering at 2-1 in the preseason and Phoenix sitting at 1-3. While the final outcome won’t matter much, this is an important opportunity for both teams to make their final evaluations before the regular season begins.

● Date: October 16

● Time (MT): 8:00 PM

● TV: AZFamily

● Location: Mortgage Matchup Center | Phoenix, AZ

Given that this is the final tune-up before the regular season, this is generally the point in the preseason when key players get a little bit closer to their normal regular-season workloads as they continue getting into game shape. It’s also an opportunity for coaching staffs to evaluate different lineup combinations and make final adjustments before the games begin to count.

For Utah, there’s still plenty to evaluate with this roster. The Jazz have several players who haven’t spent much time on the floor together, and getting those reps while continuing to implement what they’ve learned throughout training camp is important. Utah is expecting to take a significant step forward this season, and developing chemistry will be a big part of making that happen.

One player worth watching is rookie Darryn Peterson, who has already shown flashes of his upside throughout the preseason. After a quiet debut, Peterson scored 23 points against Denver and followed that up with 14 points and five assists against San Antonio. This is another opportunity for the young guard to build on those performances and continue adjusting to the NBA level before opening night.

There are also some interesting rotation questions for Utah, particularly in the frontcourt. With Jusuf Nurkic dealing with a foot injury, the Jazz have had opportunities to experiment with different lineups, including using Jaren Jackson Jr. at center. This final exhibition contest provides another chance to evaluate those combinations.

As the game progresses, the focus could also shift toward players on the fringe of the rotation or fighting for final roster spots. This is the last opportunity for teams to collect meaningful data points before making those decisions.

Ultimately, the final score doesn’t really matter. For both teams, it’s about staying healthy, getting players into game shape, evaluating individual improvements and making sure everything is in place for the regular season.

Following this contest, the Jazz will turn their attention to the regular-season opener against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, October 21, when Utah will begin what it hopes is a much-improved campaign.