Houston Rockets vs. Raptors: How to watch, preview, radio, game time

The Houston Rockets will take the court for the first time since March 10 when they take on the defending champions, the Toronto Raptors, on Friday.

There was a time when the following sentence was in severe doubt, but the Houston Rockets are finally returning to the court to play NBA basketball. Inside the Orlando campus, the Rockets will take on the Toronto Raptors in their first game action in 137 days.

Their first scrimmage game will be played using four 10-minute quarters as opposed to the usual 12, however, the following two scrimmages will be full-length games.

After Houston’s two superstars arrived later than expected, the good news is that both are now with the Rockets and expected to be back in action soon. Rockets Head Coach Mike D’Antoni said Wednesday that he’s hopeful Russell Westbrook can play in Friday’s scrimmage but will not mind if he needs to be held out.

James Harden, meanwhile, should be available, but will likely be limited in playing time as the Rockets look to get back into the habit of full-contact five-on-five basketball.

How to watch the Houston Rockets vs. Toronto Raptors

Location: The Arena (Wide World of Sports) – Orlando, FL
Date/Time: Friday, Jul. 24, 2020 @ 7:30 PM ET
National TV: NBA TV (via NBA.com or NBA TV app, also available on fuboTV)
Local TV: TSN
Radio: 790 AM

Although the game won’t mean anything in the standings, it will be the start of Mike D’Antoni learning what he’s working with in the rarest of situations. Not only did the entire league have more than four months off, but his team was just getting used to adding new guys into the mix when the NBA was shut down.

As Houston beings their restart, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about the remaining games before the playoffs. The Rockets probably have more questions to answer than any other team in the NBA, and that process will begin Friday night as they look to condition themselves for a deep playoff run.