2026-10-15 · 7:30 PM CT · Preseason
Houston Rockets52-30ESPN standings data retrieved October 6, 2026. NBA comparisons use the completed 2025–26 regular season. Each upcoming fixture labels preseason or regular-season status.
Oklahoma City Thunder2025–26 regular season
| Measure | Season average | League rank |
|---|---|---|
| STANDARD STATS | ||
| Points / game | 119.0 | 5 / 30 |
| Rebounds / game | 44.1 | 12 / 30 |
| Assists / game | 25.8 | 19 / 30 |
| Turnovers / game | 12.0 | 2 / 30 |
| Steals / game | 9.7 | 2 / 30 |
| Blocks / game | 5.5 | 6 / 30 |
| FG% | 48.4% | 5 / 30 |
| 3PT% | 36.5% | 9 / 30 |
| FT% | 81.7% | 3 / 30 |
| THE LAB MEASURES | ||
| eFG% | 56.1% | 4 / 30 |
| Turnover rate | 10.8% | 2 / 30 |
| Offensive rebound rate | — | — |
| Free-throw pressure | 0.261 | 17 / 30 |
Houston Rockets2025–26 regular season
| Measure | Season average | League rank |
|---|---|---|
| STANDARD STATS | ||
| Points / game | 115.2 | 18 / 30 |
| Rebounds / game | 48.1 | 1 / 30 |
| Assists / game | 25.4 | 21 / 30 |
| Turnovers / game | 14.4 | 21 / 30 |
| Steals / game | 8.5 | 14 / 30 |
| Blocks / game | 5.8 | 3 / 30 |
| FG% | 47.9% | 10 / 30 |
| 3PT% | 36.4% | 10 / 30 |
| FT% | 76.3% | 25 / 30 |
| THE LAB MEASURES | ||
| eFG% | 54.2% | 17 / 30 |
| Turnover rate | 12.6% | 20 / 30 |
| Offensive rebound rate | — | — |
| Free-throw pressure | 0.260 | 18 / 30 |
ESPN team totals and game box scores checked October 6. NBA season averages and ranks use 2025–26; preseason game results are shown separately. Ranks are within the league, with ties sharing a rank; a lower turnover rate is better. Season offensive rebound rate needs opponent defensive-rebound totals, which this feed does not supply. A dash means unavailable. This game’s offensive rebound rate uses the opponent’s actual rebounds.
eFG% gives a made three its extra value. Turnover rate estimates the share of plays lost before a shot. Offensive rebound rate is the share of available offensive rebounds collected. Free-throw pressure is FTA/FGA. The calculations are (FGM + 0.5 × 3PM)/FGA; TOV/(FGA + 0.44 × FTA + TOV); OREB/(OREB + opponent DREB); and FTA/FGA.
This is preseason. Use the team numbers as background and watch how the new lineups play together. No spread or Lab win probability is published for this game.
Last season 64-18 | 1st in the West | Conference finals loss to San Antonio, 4-3
2025-26 efficiency 117.6 offense | 106.5 defense | +11.1 net per 100 possessions
The Thunder's 64 wins were supported by a plus-11.1 net rating and the league's best defense, which allowed 106.5 points per 100 possessions. This was not a team surviving on close-game fortune. But San Antonio ended its title defense in a seven-game conference final, where Oklahoma City's depleted creation and Chet Holmgren's hesitation mattered more than the full-season margin.
Sam Presti retained Isaiah Hartenstein and the expensive star core while moving Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins. Rookie Aday Mara adds size, but the immediate replacements for those perimeter minutes are mostly already employed. Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell will have larger responsibilities, and Jalen Williams returning to dependable health is a bigger offensive addition than the transaction list suggests.
The unresolved issue is dependable depth around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Losing three rotation players reduces the number of useful combinations when injuries or matchups remove a starter. Presti's financial explanation is understandable. It does not make those minutes disappear. Oklahoma City can remain an elite defense and still miss Joe's shooting or Dort's difficult assignments in a particular series.
Projected finish is second in the West. The defensive baseline keeps the floor extremely high. We give San Antonio the slight edge because its young creators can improve without replacing as much of the rotation. A healthy Williams and Mitchell would make first place entirely reasonable.
Last season 52-30 | 5th in the West | First-round loss to the Lakers, 4-2
2025-26 efficiency 117.5 offense | 112.1 defense | +5.4 net per 100 possessions
Houston's 52-30 season ended fifth in the West and with a six-game first-round loss to the Lakers. The underlying profile was stronger than that exit suggests. The Rockets posted a plus-5.4 net rating and captured 54.5 percent of available rebounds. Their physical advantages generated useful possessions, but the playoff offense still needed a more reliable way to organize them.
Rafael Stone added Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanovic, retained Tari Eason and invested in Amen Thompson. Fred VanVleet's return supplies an experienced organizer after a lost season. Kevin Durant remains the established scorer, while Alperen Sengun, Thompson and Reed Sheppard provide realistic routes to internal improvement. Steven Adams returning would also restore a valuable part of the rebounding rotation.
The roster still asks opponents to respect several developing jump shots. Smart adds judgment and Bogdanovic adds shooting, but neither turns every large lineup into an easy half-court offense. Stone has addressed the problem with targeted additions and returning health. He has not removed the need for Thompson and the younger guards to improve. Houston also has to balance smaller guard minutes against the rebounding strength that helped it win.
Projected finish is fourth in the West. The two-way baseline and return of an actual offensive organizer give Houston a slight regular-season edge over Minnesota and Denver. A deeper playoff run will require cleaner first attempts, with fewer possessions depending on a rebound to become useful.
A matching published game video is not available in the verified archive yet.
