In less than two months, teams across the NBA will report for training camp to kick off the 2025-26 season. That seems like a while from now, but that moment will arrive sooner than later.
The first third or so of the NBA season seems to go by quickly, setting the scene for Christmas Day, which has always been a showcase day for the league, just as Thanksgiving Day has always been big for the NFL. On Friday, the NBA’s Christmas schedule was leaked, and among the five attractive matchups is one between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena.
While the Lakers have made some solid additions this offseason, the Rockets have one-upped just about everyone else in the personnel moves department. They traded for future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant, who continues to play at a superstar level even as he approaches his 37th birthday, and they also added Clint Capela, who played for them several years ago, to back up budding star center Alperen Sengun.
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Houston also snatched 3-and-D forward Dorian Finney-Smith from the Lakers. While some have a few concerns about Houston’s record, most expect the team to be a championship contender, which means if the Lakers are to get to that level, they will likely have to go through the Rockets at some point next spring.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Who will the Lakers play on Christmas Day?