Excitement is high for the Houston Rockets' upcoming season after acquiring NBA megastar Kevin Durant. The NBA schedule release already shows national interest in watching the Rockets take off with their new star.

A matchup featuring the last two MVPs in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic also pits the 2025 champion Thunder against the 2023 champion Nuggets. After losing to OKC, Denver revamped its roster, and many believe it can be the best in the West.

It is a constant barrage of a specific type of social media energy, many may find off-putting, designed to keep addled attention spans engaged with constant eccentricity. The response to the hype video has ranged from "What in the world am I watching?" to "Whatever this is needs to be stopped immediately."

The NBA announced on Tuesday that the season will begin on Oct. 21 with a doubleheader on NBC and Peacock. In the first game, the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder will meet star forward Kevin Durant and the new-look Houston Rockets. In the nightcap, the Los Angeles Lakers will host the Golden State Warriors.

The Rockets are 0-7 in their last seven regular-season openers, but their previous victory actually came on an opponent’s championship ring night.

Michael Shapiro is a sports reporter for Chron, covering the Astros, Rockets, Texans and every team in town. Michael is a Denver native and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, and a noted fan of pull-up threes, wide-receiver passes and a good hot fudge sundae.

For all intents and purposes, the Houston Rockets enter next season as a legitimate contender to win the NBA title. Not since James Harden sprayed triples in Ro

Houston’s regular-season opener at Oklahoma City tips at 6:30 p.m. Central on NBC, while the Christmas matchup vs. the Lakers is at 7:00 p.m. on ABC.