You know the summer is winding down when the NBA releases its full schedule, which happened officially on Thursday. That includes the Rockets schedule which, on a very quick first look, is about as fascinating as we’ve seen in Houston in years. There are 28 games on national television (including Amazon Prime and Peacock — get your subscriptions ready) this season including some very big highlighted games. There are also 14 back-to-back games spread throughout the season.

Admittedly, we haven’t taken a deep dive yet, but let’s see what we have so far.

The NBA thinks the Rockets are worth watching.
Yes, 28 games on national TV is a big deal, but even more critically, the prime time game on opening night — back on NBC for the first time in 23 years – and the prime spot on the “unofficial first day of the season,” Christmas Day in Los Angeles. The NBA is betting high on the Rockets to be not just a very entertaining team, but a very good one this season. The entire schedule is peppered with national broadcasts and marquee matchups though the majority of the games remain on Space City Home Network locally.

The longest road trip of the year culminates on Christmas Day.
Speaking of that Christmas game, it is the final game of a six-game road trip…sort of. The first of those games is the final one before the Emirates NBA Cup followed by five more road games. Depending on how the team does in the tournament, that could stretch into eight games away from Toyota Center in December that include Dallas, Denver, Sacramento and both LA teams Christmas Eve-Eve and Christmas Night. That is one wild stretch of road basketball.

One stretch in the middle of the season will test the roster.
Between the middle of January and the first of March, the Rockets will have five of their 14 back-to-backs and some of their toughest matchups in what is often the dog days of the NBA season. January 15-16 are back-to-back at home versus OKC and Minnesota with the remaining day-after games in that stretch all road trips. Tough matchups during that six weeks in addition to the two mentioned include at Detroit, at Indiana, at Boston, at OKC and at New York, plus two games each against the Thunder, Spurs and Clippers.

For now, the closing schedule favors the Rockets in a close race.
The good news is the closing weeks of the season seem to be somewhat kind to Houston if we can assume where some teams will be based on their current personnel. From March 27 through the end of the season, they play only two teams (New York, Milwaukee) who should expect to be contenders, both at home. The remaining schedule includes Memphis twice, New Orleans, Utah, Phoenix and Philadelphia. Minnesota and Golden State are also mixed in, though it is hard to predict where they will be at that time. Six of their last 10 games are at Toyota Center.

A FEW KEY DATES:
October 21: Opening night at OKC with NBA back on NBC
October 23: Hope opener against Detroit
November 3: Dallas and Cooper Flagg come to town
December 5: Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks return to Houston with Phoenix
December 9-16: Emirates NBA Cup tournament
December 25: Christmas Night game at the Lakers
January 20: Wemby in town for the first time with San Antonio
February 7: Rockets last game of the year against OKC on ABC two days post trade deadline
February 21: Rockets on ABC in Madison Square Garden against the Knicks
March 8: Rockets at San Antonio on NBC
April 12: Final game of the season at home against Memphis