The Rockets closed the preseason 2-1 and open the regular season October 21 against the Mavericks, the same team that split their two exhibition meetings. Four days later Houston plays twice in a row on the road, at San Antonio and Atlanta, with no rest in between.
Last season
Houston won 52 games a year ago with a net rating of 5.4, built on the fifth-ranked defense and an offense that finished eighth. That balance is the foundation this fall's schedule tests first: an opener against a familiar opponent, then a road trip with no cushion. Pace sat at 97.0, middle of the league, consistent with a half-court, defense-first identity.
This preseason
The exhibition slate ended 2-1: a road win at Dallas, a home loss to the same Mavericks, then a 116-89 finale over Oklahoma City. Last season's best five-man group, Durant, Capela, Smith Jr., Eason and Sheppard, posted a net rating of plus-21.7 across 66 minutes, the kind of bench-anchored shooting Houston wants its reserves to replicate.
This week
Steven Adams carries a rest-related issue, with a target to return October 21 for the opener. No other Rockets player carries any designation entering the week — Eason, Sengun, VanVleet and Durant all cleared their own tags before the Thunder finale, the clearest injury report Houston has had all preseason.
Oct. 21
The regular season opens at home against Dallas, the team Houston split with twice in preseason: a 135-117 road win, then a 115-132 home loss. The rematch is the first result that counts, and it sets the tone for how much the preseason split actually meant.
Oct. 23-24
Two days after the opener, Houston goes on the road to San Antonio, broadcast on Prime Video, then to Atlanta the next night. Back-to-back road games with no rest is the first real stress test of the season, arriving before the team has played a single home game that counts.
When is the Rockets' regular season opener?
October 21 at home against the Mavericks, six days after the preseason finale against Oklahoma City.
Will Steven Adams play in the season opener?
He's working through a rest-related issue with a return target of October 21, the same night as the opener.
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Week ahead · Tue, Oct 13The Launch Pad: One Preseason Game Stands Between Houston and the Opener
Week ahead · Tue, Oct 6Three Mavericks Dates Bracket Houston's Preseason