The start of the 2025-26 NBA season is only a month away on October 21st. That’s when the Houston Rockets will face the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder. With the Rockets’ key offseason addition being the most hated man in Oklahoma, it’s a matchup that will be hard to top. But what other key dates should Rockets fans be looking forward to?
Circled Games For The Houston Rockets’ 2025-26 Season
An Aegean Addendum
A recent addition to Houston’s must-watch games list is their first encounter with the Milwaukee Bucks. That will be an away game on November 9th.
Without venturing into the murky Aegean waters of international politics, there was discord this offseason between the franchises’ stars. In strictly basketball terms, Alperen Sengun‘s Turkish national team defeated Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s Greek side in the EuroBasket semifinals. That’s enough to provoke a “revenge game” addendum from the Greek Freak right there.
Every Giannis game will be a must-watch affair this season already. With the Bucks’ front office struggling to surround him with contender-level talent, his historic Milwaukee tenure seemingly hangs in the balance (though he says otherwise). If he happens to have a little more in store for Sengun and the Rockets, then all the better. Rockets fans will be used to that anyway, considering Giannis’ previous “beef” with former Rockets icon James Harden. Sengun is merely continuing the tradition.
Houston’s Former Favorite Son
Kevin Durant‘s former team, the Phoenix Suns, probably elicits minimal ire from the Slim Reaper. Sure, Durant may have some resentment about how his Phoenix era was handled. An ill-conceived trade for the catatonically conceived Bradley Beal contract left the team in shackles. They shambled to a 36-46 record last season. Ultimately, though, Phoenix gave Durant what he wanted: a free ticket to his destination of choice.
In an away game on November 24th, and even more so a Rockets home game on December 5th, the fireworks are more likely to come from the other side. Jalen Green‘s entire NBA career up till this season has been as a Houston Rocket. He was drafted second overall by the franchise in 2021 and even signed a first-of-its-kind extension with them last offseason. Then, albeit to no one’s surprise, he was unceremoniously traded for the mercenary services of Durant.
The quality of Green’s performance in this game is impossible to predict. He could torch the Rockets for forty, rediscover the three-point stroke that occasionally made him look like an All-Star, and put draft buddy Sengun on a poster that would be plastered over every wall in the Philippines. Or he could float around on the perimeter, throw up a few confused circus shots, and idly watch Devin Booker get mugged by the Rockets’ cadre of brawlers/defenders. Whatever the performance winds up being, Rockets fans will be sure not to miss it.
Harking Back To Durant’s Golden Days
Last but not least, the Golden State Warriors will await the Rockets in an away game on November 26th. Last season, the Rockets were finally able to squash their ugly 15-game losing streak against the Warriors. Any hope of that turning a new leaf in Rockets-Warriors relations proved barren. The Warriors would go on to send the Rockets home from their post-rebuild playoff debut.
Also adding to the drama of this matchup is the presence of Durant. It’d be difficult for a franchise to feel too much animosity towards a player who won two Finals MVPs with them. But then, the way some Warriors fans see it, those awards should by all rights be Stephen Curry‘s. Still, Durant is the one who still has something to prove versus his former teammates. He hasn’t won since he walked out on them, and he’s now on his third nominal contender. There’ll be something in this one for the Rockets fans and the Durant fans alike.
The Last Word
An honorable mention also has to go to November 30th. That will be the Rockets’ first chance to beat the brakes off of the tanking Utah Jazz, always a highlight for the diehard Rockets fan. It’s also a good representation of “any random NBA game”, which is what most basketball fans would settle for around about now. Still, the Rockets have some doozies to look forward to in 2025-26. These circled games can’t come soon enough.
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