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USA Today
12-08-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Rockets learn game times for 2025-26 season opener at Thunder, Christmas at Lakers
Houston's regular-season opener at Oklahoma City tips off at 6:30 p.m. Central on NBC, while the Christmas matchup versus the Lakers tips at 7:00 p.m. on ABC. In morning-news segments with two primary partners (NBC and ABC) under its new broadcast contracts, the NBA released more game dates and times for its upcoming 2025-26 regular season. For the Rockets, Tuesday's reveals confirmed what was already evident: With perennial All-Star and future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant on board, Houston is ready for prime time. Houston's Christmas Day game against the Los Angeles Lakers will tip off at 7:00 p.m. Central on ABC and ESPN, making it the most lucrative time slot among the five games. Meanwhile, Houston's regular-season opener at Oklahoma City tips at 6:30 p.m. Central on NBC. That October 21 game will be the first NBA on NBC telecast since 2002. Mike Tirico will handle the play-by-play for Rockets-Thunder, with former players Reggie Miller and Jamal Crawford as analysts and Zora Stephenson as the sideline reporter. Broadcast assignments for Rockets-Lakers on Christmas have yet to be announced. Tuesday's segment on NBC's TODAY Show, which can be viewed here, featured Rockets mascot Clutch the Bear and Thunder mascot Rumble the Bison. Because Houston will play Oklahoma City in NBC's opening-night showcase, those two organizations earned the initial spotlight. The complete 2025-26 schedule, with the exception of two games that are pending Emirates NBA Cup 2025 results, will be announced on Thursday. More: NBA schedule leaks: Rockets featured on 2025 opening night, Christmas Day
USA Today
12-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
In loss to Lakers, Cam Whitmore fuels short-handed Rockets with career night
In loss to Lakers, Cam Whitmore fuels short-handed Rockets with career night With nothing to play for, the short-handed Rockets took the loss in Los Angeles. But second-year guard Cam Whitmore (34 points) had a career game. With their No. 2 standings placement in the Western Conference secure, the Houston Rockets (52-29) had nothing to play for in Friday's road game at Arena. On the other side, Los Angeles (50-31) still had yet to clinch home-court advantage and a top-four seed in the 2025 playoffs. It showed in a 140-109 victory for the Lakers (box score), who clinched the No. 3 seed with the win. Luka Doncic led the way with a game-high 39 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists on 13-of-19 shooting (68.4%) and 5-of-9 from 3-point range (55.6%). Given that the game's result was meaningless to Houston, the Rockets were conservative with minutes and appearances for several rotation regulars. Tari Eason, Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun, Dillon Brooks, Amen Thompson, Steven Adams, and Jae'Sean Tate didn't play, while leading scorer Jalen Green (7 points, 4 rebounds in 15 minutes) was on a clear minutes limitation. 'What we want to do is get the guys who are nicked up totally healthy and keep some of the younger guys sharp and give them an opportunity,' head coach Ime Udoka said. 'But the basic thing is they've earned it and they deserve this time. It's a good position to be in.' Yet, the Rockets stayed competitive for parts of the game, thanks in large part to a career night from Cam Whitmore. In 37 minutes, the second-year guard/forward finished with a career-high 34 points and 8 rebounds on 13-of-19 shooting (68.4%), including 7-of-12 from 3-point range (58.3%). 'He was attack mode, which he always is," Udoka said of Whitmore. 'He was aggressive against whoever, some of the starters and some high-level players. It's never about scoring with Cam. He's always going to be aggressive and be in attack mode, and he does that kind of in his sleep. He just has to continue to grow in other areas.' For the Rockets, other statistics of note included: Reed Sheppard: 14 points, 5 assists; 5-of-14 sohoting (35.7%), 4-of-8 on 3-pointers (50.0%) Nate Williams: 12 points, 2 rebounds; 5-of-12 shooting (41.7%) Aaron Holiday: 11 points, 4 assists; 4-of-7 shooting (57.1%), 2-of-5 on 3-pointers (40.0%) With only 22 minutes needed versus a short-handed Houston squad, Lakers superstar LeBron James had 14 points and 8 assists on 6-of-11 shooting (54.5%). April 11 Rockets-Lakers Complete Highlights April 11 Postgame Reaction and Interviews What's Next Houston finishes out its 2024-25 regular season with Sunday's home game versus the Denver Nuggets (49-32). The Rockets will open up their first-round playoff series against the West's No. 7 seed the following weekend. More: Entering NBA's final weekend, Rockets still have five potential first-round opponents
