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[Houston Rockets]

Rockets versus Thunder: How the teams matchup ahead of season opener

After the blockbuster trade for Kevin Durant, the Houston Rockets have emerged as contenders in the Western Conference. Of course, to win the west, Houston will likely have to take down the Oklahoma City Thunder, and with one matchup already scheduled for NBA Opening Night, it is likely these two teams will see plenty of each other. With all that being said, exactly how do the Rockets match up with the Thunder from an individual player matchup? The matchups for starters are based on projected starting lineups for Opening Night.

Point Guard​

The starting point guard for the Houston Rockets is projected to be Fred VanVleet, who, against many starting point guards, would probably win the head-to-head matchup. However, unfortunately for Fred, the Thunder’s starting point guard is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, one of the best, if not the best, players in the world, coming off a season where he won both regular season MVP and finals MVP.

Advantage: Thunder

Shooting Guard​

For the start of the season, Houston will have third-year guard Amen Thompson starting. Amen is coming off a strong second season where he was inserted into the starting lineup after Jabari Smith junior suffered a hand injury. For the Oklahoma City Thunder, Lu Dort will likely be starting at the shooting guard position. Amen Thompson seems to have the advantage if we’re speaking at the moment because of his outstanding defense, accolades, and explosive athletic performance in crucial games. He is becoming one of the most adaptable young defenders in the NBA. But Lu Dort offers durability and seasoned, reliable defense. His worth as a reliable two-way contributor should not be understated, even though he may not be as showy. I would still take Amen Thompson here, as he can have grown even more as a player during the offseason.

Advantage: Rockets

Small Forward​

First up for the Rockets, Jabari Smith Jr. will likely re-enter the starting lineup after losing his starting spot to Amen Thompson once he returned from injury. Jabari is one of the Rockets I am most excited to see play with Kevin Durant, as their games are in ways very similar. However much like the point guard position, Jabari falls short partly because the Thunder’s starting small forward is Jalen Williams, and partly because Jalen Williams is a star player in his own, averaging 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Advantage: Thunder

Power Foward​

At the Power Forward position, the one the only, the slim reaper himself, Kevin Durant will be starting. For the Thunder, promising young star Chet Holmgren. Honestly, this was hard to decide because Durant is towards the end of his career, whereas Chet still has room to grow, but both Chet and Durant have injury concerns. However, for right now, I would put Durant above Chet in a head-to-head matchup.

Advantage: Rockets

Center​

Finally, at the Center Position starting for the Rockets is Alperen Sengun, and former Rockets player Isiah Hartenstein for the Thunder. While Hartenstein is more efficient, shooting almost 60 percent from the floor, compared to Sengun’s roughly 52 percent, Sengun is coming off an All-Star season, and if he can get his offense back on track, will no doubt be one of the top centers in the league.

Advantage: Rockets

Overall, the Rockets win the head to head position battle 3-2. Now, this doesn’t mean that Houston is the better team, as it is important to remember that last season’s Thunder team was historically great. However, what is interesting is that both Houston and OKC have the opportunity to be top defenses. Are you all excited for the OKC versus Houston matchup?

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...-how-the-teams-matchup-ahead-of-season-opener

 

[Houston Rockets]

Houston Rockets release 2025-2026 NBA schedule

The NBA has released the complete 2025-2026 schedule, and as we get closer and closer to seeing our Houston Rockets playing actual games, combing through the schedule for matchups Rockets fans can’t wait to see is a great way to pass the time. Here are some of the matchups I’m most looking forward to.

Opening Night vs OKC​

If there is one thing the NBA deserves credit for, it’s knowing how to add drama to the stakes. The newly acquired superstar of the Houston Rockets, Kevin Durant, will be present to watch his former team hang their very first championship banner in the rafters when the season begins on Oct 21. Something he was unable to do in the nine seasons he played for the Thunder. As much as I’d love to believe that this will motivate him to play well, I just don’t think that’s in Durant’s DNA. I think he’s going to hoop, because that’s what he does. I think he will treat it as just another game.

You better believe that for Rockets fans, this won’t be “just another game”. This will be an instant measuring stick game. Will the Rockets be able to keep up with the Thunder offensively now that they have a bonafide scoring machine? Will the Rockets defense be as good as last season, will it be even better, or will it take a step back? These are all the things we as fans will want answered right away and win or lose, we will likely be overreacting to whatever the result.

Christmas in La La Land​

The Rockets will play on Christmas for the first time since 2019 when they lost to the Golden State Warriors 116-104. This time they will be facing a different California team, the Los Angeles Lakers. If you can’t get hype about the Rockets on Christmas, and the opportunity to see KD vs LeBron, Amen vs Luka, Sengun vs Ayton, then you probably just don’t like Rockets basketball and if that’s the case what are you doing here? With the exception of my mother, who reads my material just cause… come on, it doesn’t get any better than that in the regular season, with one exception.

In-season Tournament Games​

The Rockets find themselves in West Group C along with the San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, and the Denver Nuggets. With the exception of the Trail Blazers, all of the teams in this bracket have aspirations of a deep post-season run, and as we have seen, the competitiveness of the in-season tournament reaches a different level than other regular season games. After getting to Vegas last season and getting embarrassed by the Thunder, the Rockets would love to win this years in-season tournament as a litmus test to whether or not they are true championship contenders.

The Rockets will start group play against the Spurs on November 7 in San Antonio, followed by a home game versus the Trail Blazers on November 14, home vs the Nuggets on November 21, and they will wrap up group play versus the Warriors in San Francisco on November 26. I imagine going 3-1 would be enough to advance them to the elimination round, which is very doable, especially if the Rockets are the team we all hope they are. Winning an NBA Cup would go a long way to building team confidence and the confidence of the fans.

Championship or Bust?​

That may seem like a silly question, but the Rockets did not give up their 23-year-old leading scorer for a 36-year-old future Hall of Fame player so that they can celebrate a first round series win. The Rockets expect themselves to make a deep run. I expect them to make a deep run, and likely so do you. I don’t know if it’s championship or bust, but the pressure is on. There are expectations on this team now. No more sneaking up. There is as reason the team will have 28 nationally televised games this season, more than doubling what they had last season. This ties them with the Timberwolves for the second most national games, behind only the Thunder, Knicks, Lakers, and Warriors who each have 34. This ain’t your ex-girlfriend / ex-boyfriend’s Houston Rockets, and I know TDS is fired up!

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...2026-nba-schedule-kevin-durant-alperen-sengun