Houston has played on October 29 six times in past seasons and won four, including a 1985 win over Seattle in a Finals season and last year's 139-121 rout in Toronto. The 5-0 start counts only against the one standard the franchise actually keeps: the 1994 and 1995 banners.
October 29, 1985
Houston beat Seattle 111-99 on this date in 1985, in the season the Twin Towers reached the Finals. Hakeem Olajuwon, the first overall pick in 1984, and 7-foot-4 Ralph Sampson gave the Rockets a frontcourt nobody else had, and Boston still took the 1986 title. Houston runs through a center again, with Alperen Sengun as the hub, and that season is the reminder: a dominant frontcourt can reach the Finals and still fall short.
1994 and 1995
Olajuwon led Houston to a then-record 58 wins and the franchise's first championship in 1993-94, beating the Knicks in the Finals. With Clyde Drexler added, the Rockets repeated in 1994-95 by sweeping Orlando. Rudy Tomjanovich's two banners are still the only ones, and every Houston roster since, this one included, gets measured against them.
The Harden years
James Harden arrived in 2012 and played nine seasons without a losing record, while Daryl Morey built the roster on advanced analytics and shot-heavy pace and space. Golden State ended both of Harden's Western Conference finals trips and knocked Houston out four times between 2015 and 2019. Under Ime Udoka, that identity now runs through Sengun's passing and Kevin Durant's scoring.
October 29, 2025
On this date last season, Houston won 139-121 at Toronto. That team finished 52-30 with a net rating of 5.4, sixth in the league, plus the eighth-ranked offense and fifth-ranked defense. The Lakers ended its season in the first round, but only after Houston came back from 3-0 down to force a Game 6. Both comeback wins came without Durant on the floor.
This week
The current group is 5-0 and first in the West after a 132-100 win at Milwaukee, where Houston led by as many as 35. Fred VanVleet scored 24 and hit four threes, Amen Thompson made 10 of 16 shots for 23, and Bogdan Bogdanovic added 16 on 5-of-6 shooting in 15 minutes. With Sengun sidelined, reserves supplied 40 points.
How many championships have the Houston Rockets won?
Two, in 1993-94 and 1994-95, both under Rudy Tomjanovich with Hakeem Olajuwon. Houston beat the Knicks for the first title and swept Orlando for the second.
When will Alperen Sengun return for the Rockets?
His back has him listed day-to-day, and his estimated return is October 30 at Dallas. He missed the 132-100 win at Milwaukee.
