1979–80 Utah Jazz season

The 1979–80 season was the Jazz sixth season in the NBA and its first in Utah. The Jazz averaged 102.4 points per game (ranked 22 in NBA) while allowing an average of 108.4 points per game (ranked 10th in NBA).^[1] The attendance was 320,649 (ranked 21st in NBA). The attendance figure was worse than the last season in New Orleans, where the club had an attendance of 364,205 (ranked 18th in NBA).^[2] In addition, the Jazz move from the Central Division to the Midwest Division (with the Indiana Pacers replacing them).

1979–80 Utah Jazz season
Head coach	Tom Nissalke
General manager	Frank Layden
Owners	Sam Battistone Larry Hatfield
Arena	Salt Palace
Results
Record	24–58 (.293)
Place	Division: 5th (Midwest) Conference: 11th (Western)
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television	KSL-TV
Radio	KSL
< 1978–79 1980–81 >

Draft picks

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club Team
1	20	Larry Knight		United States	Loyola University of Chicago
2	23	Tico Brown			Georgia Institute of Technology

^[3]

Roster

1979–80 Utah Jazz roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From SG 24 Ron Boone 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1946–09–06 Idaho State PF 33 Tom Boswell 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1953–10–02 South Carolina SF 44 Allan Bristow 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1951–08–23 Virginia Tech PG 33 Mack Calvin 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1947–07–27 USC SF 4 Adrian Dantley 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 208 lb (94 kg) 1955–02–28 Notre Dame PG 12 Brad Davis 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1955–12–17 Maryland SF 31 Paul Dawkins 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1957–06–10 Northern Illinois SG 25 Terry Furlow 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1954–10–10 Michigan State PF 11 James Hardy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1956–12–01 San Francisco C 51 Carl Kilpatrick 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1956–05–16 Louisiana–Monroe SF 22 Bernard King  6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1956–12–04 Tennessee C 50 Ben Poquette 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1955–05–07 Central Michigan C 40 Jerome Whitehead 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1956–09–30 Marquette PG 20 Duck Williams 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1956–08–02 Notre Dame

Head coach Tom Nissalke Assistant(s) Bill Bertka Gene Littles Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster Updated: March 10, 1980

Regular season

Pete Maravich was waived by the Jazz on January 18, 1980, and was quickly picked up by the Boston Celtics where he played the rest of the season alongside Larry Bird.^[4]

Season standings

Midwest Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Milwaukee Bucks	49	33	.598	–	28–12	21–21	15–9
x-Kansas City Kings	47	35	.573	2	30–11	17–24	18–6
Chicago Bulls	30	52	.366	19	21–20	9–32	8–16
Denver Nuggets	30	52	.366	19	24–17	6–35	10–14
Utah Jazz	24	58	.293	25	17–24	7–34	9–15

#	Western Conference v t e
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	c-Los Angeles Lakers	60	22	.732	–
2	y-Milwaukee Bucks	49	33	.598	11
3	x-Seattle SuperSonics	56	26	.683	4
4	x-Phoenix Suns	55	27	.671	5
5	x-Kansas City Kings	47	35	.573	13
6	x-Portland Trail Blazers	38	44	.463	22
7	San Diego Clippers	35	47	.427	25
8	Chicago Bulls	30	52	.366	30
9	Denver Nuggets	30	52	.366	30
10	Utah Jazz	24	58	.293	36
11	Golden State Warriors	24	58	.293	36

Record vs. opponents

1979–80 NBA records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHI	CLE	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	KCK	LAL	MIL	NYN	NYK	PHI	PHO	POR	SAS	SDC	SEA	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	—	2–4	1–1	4–2	1–1	6–0	2–0	2–4	4–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	4–2	4–2	4–2	1–1	2–0	5–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	3–3
Boston	4–2	—	2–0	4–2	2–0	6–0	2–0	6–0	4–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	5–1	5–1	3–3	1–1	2–0	4–2	2–0	0–2	2–0	4–2
Chicago	1–1	0–2	—	2–0	2–4	1–1	4–2	1–1	0–2	3–3	1–5	1–5	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–5	3–3	0–2	4–2	2–4	2–4	0–2
Cleveland	2–4	2–4	0–2	—	1–1	6–0	2–0	2–4	2–4	2–0	1–1	0–2	3–3	3–3	1–5	1–1	0–2	4–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–3
Denver	1–1	0–2	4–2	1–1	—	1–1	3–3	1–1	1–1	0–6	1–5	3–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–5	2–4	1–1	3–3	1–5	3–3	1–1
Detroit	0–6	0–6	1–1	0–6	1–1	—	1–1	1–5	1–5	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–4	2–4	1–5	0–2	0–2	2–4	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–4
Golden State	0–2	0–2	2–4	0–2	3–3	1–1	—	1–1	1–1	3–3	1–5	0–6	2–0	0–2	0–2	2–4	2–4	0–2	3–3	0–6	3–3	0–2
Houston	4–2	0–6	1–1	4–2	1–1	5–1	1–1	—	4–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	3–3	3–3	2–4	1–1	1–1	3–3	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–4
Indiana	2–4	2–4	2–0	4–2	1–1	5–1	1–1	2–4	—	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–4	4–2	1–5	0–2	2–0	2–4	1–1	0–2	1–1	4–2
Kansas City	2–0	1–1	3–3	0–2	6–0	2–0	3–3	2–0	1–1	—	2–4	3–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–5	1–5	1–1	5–1	3–3	6–0	2–0
Los Angeles	1–1	2–0	5–1	1–1	5–1	2–0	5–1	2–0	2–0	4–2	—	3–3	2–0	2–0	1–1	3–3	2–4	2–0	5–1	4–2	6–0	1–1
Milwaukee	1–1	0–2	5–1	2–0	3–3	1–1	6–0	1–1	2–0	3–3	3–3	—	1–1	1–1	0–2	4–2	5–1	0–2	4–2	2–4	4–2	1–1
New Jersey	2–4	1–5	1–1	3–3	1–1	4–2	0–2	3–3	4–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	—	2–4	1–5	1–1	0–2	3–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–3
New York	2–4	1–5	2–0	3–3	1–1	4–2	2–0	3–3	2–4	1–1	0–2	1–1	4–2	—	0–6	2–0	2–0	4–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–3
Philadelphia	2–4	3–3	1–1	5–1	2–0	5–1	2–0	4–2	5–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	5–1	6–0	—	1–1	2–0	4–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	5–1
Phoenix	1–1	1–1	5–1	1–1	5–1	2–0	4–2	1–1	2–0	5–1	3–3	2–4	1–1	0–2	1–1	—	6–0	1–1	2–4	4–2	6–0	2–0
Portland	0–2	0–2	3–3	2–0	4–2	2–0	4–2	1–1	0–2	5–1	4–2	1–5	2–0	0–2	0–2	0–6	—	1–1	4–2	1–5	3–3	1–1
San Antonio	1–5	2–4	2–0	2–4	1–1	4–2	2–0	3–3	4–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	3–3	2–4	2–4	1–1	1–1	—	2–0	1–1	1–1	4–2
San Diego	1–1	0–2	2–4	1–1	3–3	2–0	3–3	0–2	1–1	1–5	1–5	2–4	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–2	2–4	0–2	—	3–3	5–1	1–1
Seattle	2–0	2–0	4–2	2–0	5–1	2–0	6–0	1–1	2–0	3–3	2–4	4–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–4	5–1	1–1	3–3	—	5–1	1–1
Utah	0–2	0–2	4–2	1–1	3–3	1–1	3–3	0–2	1–1	0–6	0–6	2–4	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–6	3–3	1–1	1–5	1–5	—	0–2
Washington	3–3	2–4	2–0	3–3	1–1	4–2	2–0	4–2	2–4	0–2	1–1	1–1	3–3	3–3	1–5	0–2	1–1	2–4	1–1	1–1	2–0	—

Game log

Regular season

1979–80 game log Total: (Home: 17–24; Road: 7–34)
October: 2–7 (home: 2–2; road: 0–5) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 October 12 @ Portland L 85–101 Memorial Coliseum 0–1 2 October 15 Milwaukee L 107–131 Salt Palace 0–2 3 October 18 Portland L 92–107 Salt Palace 0–3 4 October 20 @ Golden State 96–101 Oracle Arena 0–4 5 October 22 San Diego 110–109 Salt Palace 1–4 6 October 23 @ Los Angeles L 87–102 The Forum 1–5 7 October 25 Chicago 113–105 Salt Palace 2–5 8 October 27 @ Denver 96–116 McNichols Sports Arena 2–6 9 October 31 @ Kansas City L 108–125 Municipal Auditorium 2–7
November: 1–12 (home: 0–6; road: 1–6) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 10 November 1 New York L 118–134 Salt Palace 2–8 12 November 6 Phoenix L 107–120 Salt Palace 2–10 14 November 10 Seattle L 87–88 Salt Palace 2–12 16 November 14 @ Atlanta L 97–108 The Omni 2–14 17 November 16 @ Boston L 97–113 Boston Garden 2–15 18 November 17 @ Washington L 103–111 Capital Centre 2–16 21 November 27 Los Angeles L 118–122 Salt Palace 2–19
December: 9–8 (home: 6–3; road: 3–5) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 23 December 1 Seattle W 97–95 Salt Palace 4–19 24 December 3 Milwaukee L 89–96 Salt Palace 4–20 25 December 5 @ Seattle L 96–115 Kingdome 4–21 26 December 6 Portland W 87–82 (OT) Salt Palace 5–21 29 December 13 San Antonio W 144–114 Salt Palace 8–21 30 December 14 @ Kansas City L 87–103 Municipal Auditorium 8–22 31 December 16 @ Milwaukee L 79–104 MECCA Arena 8–23 33 December 19 @ Phoenix L 99–117 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 9–24 37 December 27 Los Angeles L 116–124 Salt Palace 10–27 39 December 30 @ Milwaukee W 95–88 MECCA Arena 12–27
January: 6–10 (home: 5–4; road: 1–6) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 40 January 2 Kansas City L 121–128 (OT) Salt Palace 12–28 41 January 4 @ Portland L 97–115 Memorial Coliseum 12–29 42 January 5 Washington L 107–108 Salt Palace 12–30 44 January 11 @ Seattle L 90–100 Kingdome 13–31 46 January 13 @ Phoenix L 103–106 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 13–33 47 January 15 @ Los Angeles L 99–112 The Forum 13–34 48 January 16 Phoenix L 108–115 Salt Palace 13–35 51 January 22 Milwaukee W 127–122 (OT) Salt Palace 16–35 52 January 24 Kansas City L 88–110 Salt Palace 16–36 53 January 26 @ Kansas City L 107–112 Municipal Auditorium 16–37 54 January 28 Philadelphia W 107–101 Salt Palace 17–37
February: 3–10 (home: 1–5; road: 2–5) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record All-Star Break 57 February 7 Atlanta L 90–92 Salt Palace 19–38 58 February 9 @ Houston L 95–117 The Summit 19–39 59 February 10 @ San Antonio L 128–148 HemisFair Arena 19–40 60 February 13 @ Philadelphia L 85–107 The Spectrum 19–41 62 February 16 @ New York W 121–102 Madison Square Garden 20–42 63 February 20 Boston L 98–105 Salt Palace 20–43 64 February 22 Houston L 82–94 Salt Palace 20–44 65 February 23 Seattle L 95–105 Salt Palace 20–45 67 February 28 Phoenix L 101–111 Salt Palace 20–47 68 February 29 @ Portland W 91–87 Memorial Coliseum 21–47
March: 3–11 (home: 3–4; road: 0–7) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 69 March 2 @ Seattle L 91–103 Kingdome 21–48 71 March 6 Portland W 117–110 Salt Palace 22–49 72 March 7 @ Phoenix L 94–110 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 22–50 77 March 21 Kansas City L 98–102 Salt Palace 23–54 78 March 23 @ Los Angeles L 96–101 The Forum 23–55 80 March 27 Los Angeles L 95–97 Salt Palace 24–56 82 March 30 @ Milwaukee L 91–107 MECCA Arena 24–58
1979–80 schedule

Player stats

Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average

Player	GP	MIN	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS
Adrian Dantley	68	2674	516	191	96	14	1903
Ron Boone	75	2286	216	302	92	3	970
Allan Bristow	82	2304	512	341	88	6	953
Terry Furlow	55	1718	152	221	54	14	878
Tom Boswell	61	1555	328	115	24	29	700
Ben Poquette	82	2349	560	131	45	162	731
Pete Maravich	17	522	40	54	15	4	290
Bernard King	19	419	88	52	7	4	176
Brad Davis	13	225	15	45	10	1	76
Carl Kilpatrick	2	6	4	0	0	0	3

^[5]

Awards

Transactions

Added Bernard King to Roster