Houston Rockets

Rockets reveal full schedule for 1st Harden-less season in 9 years

Rockets host Detroit on Nov. 10 in nationally-televised face-off between top 2 overall draft picks

Friday, August 20, 2021

It's time to meet the new Rockets! General Manager Rafael Stone said this new team is going to be young but exciting, and he could not be any more accurate. This year, fans can look forward to seeing the chemistry that's already been established between new draft picks Jalen Green and Josh Christopher. Press play to hear about their relationship, what they all hope to get done on the court and what most excites them about being in Houston.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Houston Rockets, no longer plagued with James Harden's uncertain future with the team, get a clean slate and a youthful attitude when they and the rest of the NBA return to the standard 82-game regular season for 2021-2022.

The team and its fans learned on Friday the Rockets' full schedule, which will begin on the road against former Rockets star Patrick Beverley and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 20. The Rockets' home opener is two days later on Oct. 22 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Rockets, which finished with the league's worst record last season, will be nationally-televised just four times this season. One of those games will be a Nov. 10 matchup on ESPN against No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons at Toyota Center.

Other schedule highlights include:

Oct. 31 at LA Lakers: The first of two games in three days against LeBron James and new Laker, former Rockets guard Russell Westbrook
Nov. 4 at Phoenix: Face-off with defending Western Conference titleholders
Dec. 5 vs. Brooklyn: James Harden's second time returning to Houston since his trade
Dec. 10 vs. Milwaukee: Bucks visit Houston as defending champions
Feb. 17, 2022 at LA Clippers: Last game before All-Star break
Apr. 10, 2022 vs. Atlanta: Last game of regular season

While the season will be the first in nine years without Harden in the backcourt, there's plenty to be excited about after a standout showing by Houston's first-round draft talent that is headlined by No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green.

The video above is from July 2021, when the Rockets introduced their 2021 NBA Draft picks. For more, access this post.

Rockets fans will now get the opportunity see how Green's scoring ability matches up with Kevin Porter Jr., who highlighted his first season in Houston with a 50-point game against the eventual champions, the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Rockets will also have four preseason games, tipping off with a matchup with the Washington Wizards on Oct. 5 at Toyota Center.