The Houston Rockets now know when and where their 82 games of the upcoming season will take place.
Here are five that might matter a little more than the others:
The season opener will be at the Toyota Center, where the Rockets will face LaMelo Ball and the Hornets. It will be a chance for the Rockets to play in front of their fans and start the new year off on the right foot.
James Harden and Kevin Porter Jr. return to Toyota Center to face the Rockets in their NBA Cup opener of the season. The Rockets will also face the Portland Trail Blazers (Nov. 22), Minnesota Timberwolves (Nov. 26) and Sacramento Kings (Dec. 3) later in the tournament.
In their only appearance on ESPN this year, the Rockets will face the Lone Star State rival Spurs, with Victor Wembanyama back for his second season. This is the fourth and final meeting between the two teams after playing three times in the first eight games of the season.
The Rockets will play a six-game homestand throughout the season in mid-March, headlined by a visit from the defending Western Conference champion Mavericks, who will also travel to Houston on New Year’s Day.
In the season finale, reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets visit the Rockets in what could be a huge game for playoff positioning.
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