5 Games to Circle on the Houston Rockets' 2026-27 schedule

The NBA schedule has finally been released. The Rockets will open the season on October 21 at home against the Dallas Mavericks. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., which will be the new standard tip time for home games after more than a decade of starting at 7:00.

Opening night should mark the returns of Fred VanVleet and Kyrie Irving, but it is not one of the games I’m looking forward to the most. Here are the five I have circled on my calendar.

October 23 at Spurs

12 months ago, the Rockets were slotted ahead of San Antonio after they finished second in the West in 2025 and traded for Kevin Durant. The roles have been reversed after San Antonio’s 60-win season and NBA Finals appearance. The Rockets get an early opportunity to make a statement.

The Rockets were 1-3 against the Spurs last season, and the last two meetings were especially embarrassing. They blew a 16-point second-half lead and could not function offensively during a 111-99 loss at Toyota Center on Jan. 28, and they failed to compete on the way to a 145-120 loss in San Antonio on March 8.

Not only is it a chance for the team to make a statement, but it’s also a chance for individuals to do so. Alperen Sengun has had success against Victor Wembanyama in the past. He scored a career-high 45 points against him on March 4, 2024. This game also featured the third and fourth picks of the 2024 draft, Reed Sheppard and Stephon Castle. Selected one spot behind Sheppard, Castle has been the much better player through the first two seasons of their NBA careers, but the Rockets guard will get an early opportunity to show he belongs on the floor with his draft class’ Rookie of the Year.

November 4 vs Timberwolves

San Antonio and Oklahoma City are in their own tier in the West. Denver is alone in the next tier, and then you have a group of teams led by the Rockets and Wolves. If those first three teams play to their expected level, only one other team can finish with home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, making this game crucial.

It will be the Rockets’ first look at the new-look Wolves, who swapped out Julius Randle and Naz Reid while bringing in LaMelo Ball, instantly making Minnesota’s offense more fun to watch. Anthony Edwards has averaged 27 points on 45% shooting in 18 career games against the Rockets, but he scored just 22 points in their lone meeting last season.

Apr 5, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) catches a pass in front of Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson (1) in the second quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

November 11 vs Warriors

Every game between the Rockets and Warriors has been charged up. Tari Eason, whose mom has gotten into social media back and forth with Draymond, hasn’t been shy about voicing his disdain for Golden State in the past, and wore a “Warriors, come out to play” shirt on the bench in 2024. Watching the Rockets chase around Stephen Curry is always fun, and I get a kick out of watching Alperen Sengun deal with Green’s physicality and mind games. You also can’t take seeing Curry on the floor with Kevin Durant for granted.

A Rockets-Warriors game inside Toyota Center just feels different than your average regular season game. There’s a buzz to the crowd that you just don’t get most nights.

November 25 vs Suns

It will be the second meeting between the Rockets and Suns, but this will be Jalen Green’s first game inside Toyota Center since he was traded to Phoenix last summer. He struggled in the only game he played against the Rockets last season, and that game was very competitive. It will be fun to see Green try to put on a show in the building he called home for four seasons, and you know he’ll approach it with something to prove.

I also love any time Dillon Brooks takes the floor against former teammates he likes and respects. It brings out the best in everyone. There will be a lot of talking and a lot of physicality, but it will be the healthy kind, not personal, and it serves as a reminder of how much Brooks contributed to the Rockets’ culture during his two seasons with the team.

December 23 at 76ers

Alperen Sengun and Joel Embiid have only faced off four times in five seasons and just twice over the last three seasons. Embiid has had the better of those matchups, averaging 33.8 points to Sengun’s 13.0. He scored 41 points against the Rockets in 2024 and recorded a 32-point, 15-rebound, 10-assist triple-double when the two met last season.

The Rockets will also get their first shot at LeBron James after he knocked them out of the playoffs last season, while Ime Udoka gets to go up against Jaylen Brown, whom he coached in Boston. I am personally looking forward to seeing how the Rockets deal with the freakishly athletic backcourt duo of Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe.

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