The Houston Rockets Have Had an Unusual Schedule to Start the Season

The Houston Rockets are heading to Cleveland for the 13th game of the season as they take on the 10-5 Cleveland Cavaliers. The Rockets are winners of nine of their last 10 games after dropping close games to start the season against the defending NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and, at the time of this writing, the team with the second-best record, the Detroit Pistons.

The Rockets are coming off their closest win of the season as they defeated the Orlando Magic in overtime Monday night at the Toyota Center. The Rockets know there will be ups and downs throughout the season as teams deal with injuries, players going into slumps, and the grind of an 82-game season.

All those are factors in how a season can play out for an NBA team but another factor can have a signficiant impact as well. Before the season each NBA team receives their schedule for the upcoming season. A few things normally stand out when it comes to the yearly schedule.

Who are your opponents on opening night? How many back-to-back games does a team have in a season? When are the long road trips, and who are your opponents during that stretch? When you look at the first two months for the Rockets, their schedule will be unique, to say the least.

The Rockets Have an Unusual Schedule to Start the Season

When it comes to the Houston Rockets' 2025-26 schedule, it hasn't been the typical start to a season. The Rockets have now had two games with two days off in between, which is rare in the NBA. After Wednesday's matchup with the Cavaliers and Friday's game against the Denver Nuggets, the Rockets will have two days off before their next game.

Another unique aspect of the schedule is the Rockets' lack of back-to-back games. Even with the NBA limiting back-to-backs over the last few seasons, not having a single one until December, as the Rockets do this season, is highly unusual.

The Rockets' first back-to-back is on November 30th and December 1st, both against the Utah Jazz. They have one more December 20th and the 21st, which are the only two for the 2025 calendar year. That is a massive advantage for a team that has gotten older over the last two seasons. The Rockets' newest star, Kevin Durant, just turned 37, and the Rockets would like it if they didn't have to overuse their star, especially early in the season.

Even for younger players, it is a benefit, as the NBA is seeing more and more injuries as the pace of the game continues to increase. Now, of course, the schedule eventually catches up to everyone as the back-to-backs will increase in 2026 and the days off between games will decrease. For now, though, the Rockets need to take advantage of their irregular schedule to start the season.