Four Rockets Carry Fresh Rest-or-Health Tags Into the Dallas…

By the Rockets Nightly Desk · Sunday, October 11

Houston's win over Dallas on Friday does not carry into tonight clean: Durant, Sengun, VanVleet and Adams all picked up fresh status notes this morning ahead of the second preseason meeting. None of it touches the regular-season ledger yet, which still reads 0-0 until October 21.

Rockets Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Friday

Houston beat Dallas 135-117 in the preseason opener. Tari Eason scored 20, Fred VanVleet added 17 in his return from a torn ACL, and Alperen Sengun logged a triple-double: 16 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists. None of it counts toward the 0-0 regular-season mark.

This Morning

Four rotation pieces picked up new notes hours before tip-off. Durant's reads not injury related. Sengun, VanVleet and Adams are each sidelined for rest, filed under the same catch-all category rather than a specific ailment. All four share an estimated return of October 15, already on file before today's update.

Tonight

Houston and Dallas meet again, still on NBA TV, with all four statuses unresolved at tip-off. A second straight result against the Mavericks changes nothing on the standings page, but who Udoka plays tonight is the clearest early read on how he manages this group into the opener.

This Week

The preseason slate runs one more game after tonight, against Oklahoma City on October 15, also on NBA TV. Houston then opens the regular season at home against Dallas on October 21 and travels to San Antonio two days later.

Next Next: Oklahoma City in preseason on October 15, then the regular-season opener at home against Dallas on October 21.

Is Kevin Durant playing in tonight's Rockets-Mavericks preseason game?

Durant was given a status note this morning reading not injury related, with no game decision reported yet.

When do the Rockets play their regular-season opener?

Houston opens the regular season at home against Dallas on October 21, after one more preseason game against Oklahoma City on October 15.

By the Rockets Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.