On Friday October 9th, the Houston Rockets are set to tip off their 2026-2027 NBA preseason in Macao, China. That means anybody interested in watching this game live will have to set their alarms or pull an all-nighter. It will be worth it though, as it’s definitely a step up from Summer League. We finally have some semi-real NBA basketball to enjoy. 

When: Friday, October 9th @ 7:00 AM CT  

Where: The Venetian Arena in Macao, China  

Where to watch: Local Broadcasting, NBATV, NBA League Pass (with subscription)

Coming into the game this evening, both teams are expected to have nearly their entire rosters available. If everything goes as planned, it’ll be the first time we get to see this version of the Rockets fully healthy. While the starters might not be expected to play upwards of 30 minutes, we should still get a good glimpse of the whole squad at different points throughout the night. 

*No Injuries Reported* 

Game-Time Decision: Santi Aldama (Undisclosed) 

Game-Time Decision: Dereck Lively II (Right Foot Surgery)  

The Dallas Mavericks were expected to start the preseason without their defensive anchor, Dereck Lively, but that might not be the case now. After being named to the All-Rookie Second Team in 2024, this athletic freak has struggled to stay on the court in the years since. He’s played in only 98 regular season games compared to the 148 that he’s missed. 

I’m sure they’d love to get him out there sooner rather than later, which could make things a bit more difficult for the Rockets. He’s no star by any means, and is expected to be rusty considering he hasn’t played since November 21, 2025. That doesn’t mean he can’t impact the game with his length and athleticism. 

I previously expected Houston’s big men to have a relatively easier night, mostly only having Daniel Gafford and Moussa Cissé to worry about. I would’ve loved to see Clint Capella walk the walk after talking that talk, as covered on Roundtable, but that could be slightly more difficult now. 

Thankfully for the Rockets, they have a big man returning of their own from injury, with Steven Adams expected to log some minutes. I wouldn’t expect it to be anything significant considering this is his first game since January 18th at the beginning of this year. 

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, we have All-Star point guards stepping foot on the court again after ACL tears took them each out for over a year. Fred VanVleet hasn’t played since early May in the 2025 Playoffs, while Kyrie Irving has been out for two months longer. 

With virtually everybody healthy and ready to hoop, I’ll be locked in for this preseason debut in China. Will you be watching? 

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