Overview

• Durant joined Houston in the offseason and opened preseason with 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting in 23 minutes.
• Head coach Ime Udoka labeled Durant the team’s finisher and closer and suggested he could carry more playmaking than initially planned.
• Fred VanVleet is out for the season with a torn right ACL, shifting creation duties toward Alperen Şengün, Amen Thompson and rookie Reed Sheppard.
• Houston reworked its roster by adding Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela and moving on from Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and Jock Landale to address last season’s spacing issues.
• The Rockets open Oct. 21 at Oklahoma City with a posted over/under of 55.5 wins, a rigid cap sheet and extension decisions for Durant and Tari Eason still pending.