Rockets Nightly
More
PodcastVideoSalary capDraft picksHistory
The Launch Pad · Morning

The Launch Pad: Preseason Ends, Opener Six Days Out

Houston closes the preseason 116-89 over Oklahoma City; the record resets to 0-0 with the opener six days away.

By the Rockets Nightly Desk · Friday, October 16

The Rockets closed preseason 2-1, opening a 33-15 first-quarter lead in a 116-89 win over Oklahoma City Thursday as the bench outscored the starters 54-48. The regular-season opener against Dallas is six days out, and the injury list is thinner than it has been all camp.

Rockets Nightly artwork
Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Oct. 15

Houston closed the preseason with a 116-89 win over Oklahoma City, opening a 33-15 lead in the first quarter. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 15 off the bench on 5-of-8 from three, and Sengun added 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 24 minutes. The bench outscored the starters 54-48. The same day, Houston added forward Cameron Matthews to the roster.

This week

Sengun, Fred VanVleet and Kevin Durant were all cleared off day-to-day tags on Oct. 15, and Tari Eason followed a day later, tagged for an undisclosed issue and cleared hours afterward. Steven Adams is the lone holdout, still day-to-day with a rest designation and an estimated return of Oct. 21, the same date as the opener.

Today

Steven Adams remains the exception. He has been day-to-day with a rest designation since Oct. 11, and his estimated return is Oct. 21, the same date as the opener. Everyone else cleared this week, so whether Adams suits up for game one is the one injury question left standing.

Oct. 21-26

The opener against Dallas starts a stretch of four games in six days: at San Antonio on Oct. 23, at Atlanta on Oct. 24, and a rematch with the Hawks back in Houston on Oct. 26. The Rockets will have had four full days of rest before tipoff.

Next Houston opens the regular season versus Dallas on Oct. 21, six days out, before back-to-back road trips to San Antonio on Oct. 23 and Atlanta on Oct. 24.
When does the Rockets' 2026-27 season start?

Houston opens the regular season versus Dallas on Oct. 21, six days after closing the preseason with a 116-89 win over Oklahoma City.

Is Steven Adams available for the opener?

Adams is day-to-day with a rest designation and an estimated return of Oct. 21, the same date as the opener, so his status is the question left to resolve.

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.

More from The Launch Pad

all Rockets news →
Postgame · Thu, Oct 15The Launch Pad: Rockets Rout Thunder 116-89 to Close PreseasonRumor check · Thu, Oct 15Rumor Check: Sorting the Rockets' Real Moves From the NoiseMorning · Thu, Oct 15The Launch Pad: Houston Closes Preseason at Home Against Oklahoma CityMorning · Wed, Oct 14The Launch Pad: Four Regulars Tagged Questionable Before Thursday's FinaleMorning · Tue, Oct 13The Launch Pad: A Quiet Morning Before Houston's Rematch With the ThunderMorning · Mon, Oct 12Three Starters Added to the Injury List Before Thursday's Thunder Game