Houston Rockets: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Rockets star Kevin Durant bluntly downplays defense as key to winning NBA title

As the famous saying in the sports world goes, defense wins championships. This is different when it comes to Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant’s perspective on the topic.

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Kevin Durant’s 1-Word Response Over OKC Return Makes His Rockets Declaration That More Serious

This Tuesday night, Kevin Durant is going to walk back into Oklahoma City with the same expression of calmness he’s worn during almost two decades of pro basketball.

Ime Udoka News / NBA on ClutchPoints / October 18

Rockets HC Ime Udoka’s extremely confident claim will give opponents extra motivation

Ime Udoka and the Houston Rockets are preparing for the 2025-26 regular season. Houston has high expectations heading into the new campaign. The Rockets will play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday to begin the season.

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / October 18

Rockets Dubbed Preseason Winner After 4-0 Stretch

The NBA preseason is now over, and the league is getting ready for what should be an exciting 2025-26 regular season with many changes. While the Oklahoma City Thunder are the reigning champions and still looking like the best team in the league, there are plenty of teams catching up to them in pursuit of a title.

Russell Westbrook News / Yardbarker Quizzes

The 'NBA MVPs' quiz

How many players to win the NBA MVP Award can you name in seven minutes?

The '60 points in an NBA game' quiz

The 'NBA franchise assist leaders' quiz

The 'NBA all-time scoring leaders' quiz

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / October 18

Rockets Practice Report: Houston Prepares for the Oklahoma City Thunder

The Houston Rockets concluded their 2025 preseason with a 4-0 record after their 133-115 win over the Atlanta Hawks. The Rockets were able to see every active player on their roster through the four preseason games, including a dress rehearsal game in game three, where Ime Udoka went with his expected regular rotation.

NBA News / Yardbarker

The 25 greatest nicknames in NBA history

Hakeem The Dream, Clyde The Glide, Magic: The NBA has produced some incredible nicknames over the decades. Some, like Magic and Penny, have even come to largely replace the player's actual name.

Rockets waive four players

The Rockets announced on Saturday that they have waived four players on non-guaranteed training camp contracts.

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / October 18

The Rockets Could Become The League's Best Transition Team

The Houston Rockets have been known for their defense since the start of the new era that came with the hire of head coach Ime Udoka. However, while the defense has been elite, the offense has not been near the same level as the other side of the ball.

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / October 18

Rockets' Amen Thompson Tabbed as 'Under the Radar X-Factor'

The initial scouting report on Amen Thompson was that he'd be a bit of a project. He'd taken an alternate route and opted to play at Overtime Elite, alongside his twin brother, Ausar Thompson.

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / October 18

Rockets Given Solid Chance to Land Top-Three Playoff Seed

The Houston Rockets are undoubtedly expected to make the playoffs this season despite how crowded the Western Conference is. Last season, they burst onto the scene, climbing to relevance with a 52-30 record and capturing the No.

Houston Rockets News / The Dream Shake / October 18

Rockets must not deviate from their master plan

The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Let’s narrow the focus to men. The plans of mice mostly seem to be to infiltrate the basement apartments of non-cat-owning humans.

Kevin Durant News / HITC / October 18

Kevin Durant explains how he used leverage to force trade from Suns to Rockets

Kevin Durant will soon start a new chapter in his NBA career after a terrible stint with the Phoenix Suns. Around the time of last season’s trade deadline, there was talk about the Suns looking to move Durant.

Amen Thompson News / Houston Rockets on SI / October 18

Rockets' Amen Thompson Listed as Future Star by The Athletic

Amen Thompson has already emerged as one of the game's greatest two-way players. Defensively, he's capable of guarding essentially any position on the floor. Being 6-foot-7 helps, for sure.

NBA News / The Dream Shake / October 17

Rockets Sign Daishen Nix

Daryl Morey had Joey Dorsey (The Dorsal Fin). Rafael Stone has…Daishen Nix? It appears to be true. Stone just doesn’t know how to quit Nixing. A transaction went down with the undrafted guard who played more minutes in a season for the Rockets than the number three overall pick Reed Sheppard did last season.

Houston Rockets News / NBA on ClutchPoints / October 17

Rockets sign 2 players before regular season

The Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder will kick off the NBA’s regular season on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, both teams are already dealing with injuries before the 82-game slate starts.

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The 'College basketball AP preseason No. 1 teams' quiz

The 'NFL 100-touchdown club' quiz

The 'Oldest starting QB by NFL team' quiz

The '2024 TD catch leaders by team' quiz

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / October 17

Significant Draft Capital Has Gone Into This Rockets Team

The Houston Rockets are preparing for an opening night contest against the reigning champions with one of the best teams they've fielded in the current decade.

Reed Sheppard News / Houston Rockets on SI / October 17

Against the Hawks, Reed Sheppard Proved to Be the Piece the Rockets Need to Succeed

No one is expecting Reed Sheppard to be a superstar this season. It's not a knock on his game, but the Houston Rockets have so many pieces that the second-year guard doesn't need to be a focal point of the offense.

Kevin Durant News / NBA Analysis Network / October 17

Kevin Durant reveals major leverage he had over the Suns that allowed him to get traded to Rockets

Kevin Durant will soon start a new chapter in his NBA career after a terrible stint with the Phoenix Suns. During last season’s NBA Trade Deadline, reports emerged about the Phoenix Suns wanting to trade Kevin Durant.

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / October 17

Rockets Valued as 10th-Most Valuable NBA Team

The value of sports franchises has skyrocketed of late. The Washington Commanders -- one of the most dysfunctional organizations and drama-plagued franchises in all of sports -- sold for $6.05 billion.

Amen Thompson News / Houston Rockets on SI / October 17

Rockets' Amen Thompson Has Stood Out This Preseason

The Houston Rockets concluded their 2025 preseason with a perfect 4-0 record after their 133-115 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. The Rockets rested all of their regular rotation players, except for Reed Sheppard, who had a game-high 29 points in the win.

NBA News / NBA Analysis Network / October 17

Steve Nash picks Rockets star over Victor Wembanyama as NBA DPOY favorite

NBA legend Steve Nash shared his honest opinion on the 2025-26 NBA Defensive Player of the Year race. With the new season right around the corner, it’s the perfect time for experts to name their picks for the 2025-26 NBA awards.

Houston Rockets News / Field Level Media / October 17

2025-26 NBA preview: Southwest Division capsules

Southwest Division team capsules 1. Houston Rockets 2024-25 record: 52-30, 1st in the Southwest Head coach: Ime Udoka, third season with the Rockets (93-71 record) Coming and going: The Rockets made the most significant move of the offseason by trading for Kevin Durant in July.

Kevin Durant News / Yardbarker / October 17

Rockets' Kevin Durant gets real on retirement plans

During a recent interview with Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, the superstar forward shared his hopes of building something special and sustainable with the Rockets.

Rising Rockets star turning heads after strong preseason showing

The 20 best current NBA players over the age of 35

The 'NBA all-time scoring leaders' quiz

Carmelo Anthony News / Last Word On Sports / October 17

Carmelo Anthony’s Backing a Rockets Star for 2025-26 NBA MVP

The upcoming NBA season hasn’t even tipped off, but Carmelo Anthony is already stirring the conversation with a bold claim. The Hall of Famer and 10-time All-Star believes that Alperen Sengun, the 23-year-old center of the Houston Rockets, could be the league’s next Most Valuable Player.

Houston Rockets News / Last Word On Sports / October 17

Rockets Sophomore Ends Preseason on High Note

Houston Rockets sophomore Reed Sheppard couldn’t have scripted a better introduction to professional basketball. In the Rockets’ 133-115 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Oct.

Reed Sheppard News / Yardbarker / October 17