Houston Rockets news: 8-game schedule for season resuming released

The NBA will officially be back next month, and the Houston Rockets now know who their eight opponents will be in the Orlando bubble.

The light at the end of the basketball blackout tunnel is finally within sight. The Houston Rockets are officially scheduled to hit the hardwood again in the pursuit of taking an NBA championship back home to Space City.

Despite coronavirus numbers spiking in many states, the NBA’s bubble plan in Orlando is still going on as scheduled, with advanced precautions being taken by Commissioner Adam Silver and the league.

The Rockets are one of eight teams scheduled to land in Orlando on July 9th to begin preparation:

Sources: Travel dates for 22 NBA teams to Orlando:

– July 7: Nets, Nuggets, Magic, Suns, Jazz, Wizards
– July 8: Celtics, Mavericks, Clippers, Grizzlies, Heat, Pelicans, Thunder, Kings
– July 9: Rockets, Pacers, Lakers, Bucks, 76ers, Trail Blazers, Spurs, Raptors

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 25, 2020

At 42-24, the Rockets are in a virtual tie with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the fifth seed and just one game behind the Utah Jazz for number four. It’s realistic to expect the Rockets to move up in the standings, considering Eric Gordon’s health and the work that Russell Westbrook and James Harden have been putting in during the hiatus.

To do so, however, Houston will have to take care of business for the remaining eight games leading into the playoffs, beginning with a matchup against the Dallas Mavericks.

Here is the full schedule for the Houston Rockets, as announced Friday evening on ESPN’s NBA Countdown:

7/31 @ 9 ET – Dallas Mavericks (ESPN)

8/2 @ 8:30 ET – Milwaukee Bucks (ABC Sunday)

8/4 @ 9 ET – Portland Trail Blazers (TNT)

8/6 @ 9 ET – Los Angeles Lakers (TNT)

8/9 @ 8 ET – Sacramento Kings

8/11 @ 2 ET – San Antonio Spurs (NBATV)

8/12 @ 4 ET – Indiana Pacers (NBATV)

8/13 Time TBD – Philadelphia 76ers

We recently wrote a breakdown of how the Rockets have fared recently against all eight times as well as what to expect from their upcoming matchups in July and August. Stay tuned for more analysis of the team’s schedule as the NBA’s return finally approaches.