SALT LAKE CITY — Like the song says, “… but you can do the job when you’re in town.”
Now back in town after a long pre-Christmas road trip, Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin and his players will settle down for a stretch in which they’ll play three of their next four games at EnergySolutions Arena.
The Jazz, who went 2-2 on their recent trip into the Eastern Conference, will play host to the Golden State Warriors tonight, then the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.
Utah (15-14) have just two home losses this season. However, those two losses are recent — Dec. 9 vs. the Clippers and Dec. 15 vs. Memphis.
Before heading out on their latest road trip, the Jazz turned in a lackluster performance in a 99-86 loss to the Grizzlies.
In that regard, getting out of the road for a week wasn’t such a bad thing.
Picking up wins at Brooklyn and Orlando helped push Utah’s record to 6-12 on the road.
Getting away from the hustle and bustle of home during the holidays was the brainchild of former Jazz coach Frank Layden, who believed his players could focus better on the road.
Known as the “pre-Christmas road trip” by players, fans and media a like, the annual journey has become almost legendary since its inception in the mid-1980s. But while the original idea was to get players out of town during some of the most hectic days of the year, it also got them home in time for Christmas.
This year the Jazz arrived back home early on Dec. 24 after knocking off Orlando on Sunday.
“I think (the trip) is great,” Corbin said before leaving. “It’s a tremendous achievement for this organization to try and make sure the guys are home for Christmas with their family. This is one of the sacrifices you make.”
Forward Paul Millsap has been with the Jazz since 2006 and has come to understand the objective of the pre-Christmas trip. Before leaving he said he’s never thrilled about leaving home for a week or more but is always glad to get back in time to celebrate Christmas with his family.
“I’d rather be at home, but I don’t make the schedule,” he said.
“(The trip) is not too good,” he said. “But as long as we’ve got that Christmas day we can spend with our families, we’re fine with it.”
Rarely have the Jazz been scheduled to play on Christmas day. In fact, the last time they did was in 1997, when they beat Houston at home. But since 2000 they’ve played at home nine times on Dec. 26, winning eight in a row.
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