The Rockets will likely rest Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, and some other regulars for Thursday’s preseason finale in Atlanta, head coach Ime Udoka said following Tuesday’s exhibition win over New Orleans (via Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle).
The Rockets are 3-0 in preseason play, including one victory over the Hawks last week in Houston. Tipoff of Thursday’s return visit to Atlanta is at 6:30 p.m. Central, with the game televised on Space City Home Network and NBA League Pass.
Houston enters that game being one of only three undefeated teams in the 2025-26 preseason standings, joining the San Antonio Spurs and Orlando Magic.
The Rockets have a challenging regular-season opener next Tuesday, Oct. 21, at Oklahoma City — where the Thunder will receive their championship rings to celebrate their 2025 NBA Finals victory. So, with that game five days away, it doesn’t make sense for the Rockets to risk injuries or fatigue to key players.
Among healthy players in Houston’s expected playing rotation for the opener, all nine — Durant, Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Steven Adams, Reed Sheppard, Tari Eason, Aaron Holiday, and Clint Capela — have featured in multiple preseason games. So, each has already had ample opportunities to get in game shape and knock off any remaining rust after the 2025 offseason.
Led by Udoka, the Rockets also had numerous in-house scrimmages as part of training camp practices in recent weeks.
Between all that mileage and Thursday’s game being a second in three nights, the plan seems to be for the Rockets to pause and rest before scaling back up for the 2025-26 regular season (schedule).
It’s worth noting that Houston’s opening three games each have multiple days of rest going in, so the Rockets won’t have a regular-season stretch with two games in three nights until the second week (Oct. 27 and 29).
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Ime Udoka: Rockets likely to rest key players in Thursday’s preseason finale at Atlanta
Reporting by Ben DuBose, Rockets Wire / Rockets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
