Some games and stretches worth circling on the schedule of the Houston Rockets:
• The NBA was determined to reduce the number of back-to-back games on the schedule, the Rockets will have 19 such games this upcoming season. Last season, the Rockets had 20 such games and went 12-8.
• Newly acquired point guard Ty Lawson is expected to make his season debut Oct. 28 vs. Denver; however, he could be disciplined by the league given his two arrests for driving under the suspicion of DUI. If Lawson isn’t suspended, he will visit his former team, the Denver Nuggets, Nov. 15.
• The Rockets didn’t participate on the Christmas schedule last season, but they’re back, taking on the San Antonio Spurs on ESPN at 7 p.m. CT. It’s the first meeting between the teams on the schedule. The last time the Rockets played on Christmas Day was 2013 and they beat the Spurs 111-98.
• The Rockets meet the defending champion Golden State Warriors for the first time in the second game of the season, Oct. 30, at the Toyota Center. Also, the Rockets will visit the Los Angeles Clippers, a team they eliminated from the postseason in six games after rallying from a 3-1 deficit, Nov. 7. Leading scorer James Harden faces his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, on Nov. 2. Dwight Howard will get his annual jeers from Los Angeles Lakers fans Dec. 17.
• One of the toughest stretches of the season occurs in late December the Rockets host San Antonio on Christmas Day, visit Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans the next night. After a few days off, the Rockets host Atlanta and then have a New Year’s Eve contest vs. Golden State.
• LeBron James makes his annual visit to Houston when Cleveland comes Jan. 15, televised on ESPN. Last season, in a thrilling contest, won in overtime 105-103 by the Rockets, James was kicked in the groin by Harden, drawing a one-game suspension. Harden scored 33 points and while James scored 37 points, he went 3-11 from the foul line. The return meeting, on a Friday night, should be good times in downtown Houston.
