Coming off a commanding home win over Indiana in Tuesday’s 2023-24 preseason opener, the Houston Rockets hit the road for the first time with Thursday’s matchup versus the New Orleans Pelicans.
The game will be played at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, which is the home of the Pelicans’ NBA G League affiliate.
The Pelicans are 0-1 in exhibition play, while the Rockets are 1-0. Houston had a balanced effort in its opening win versus the Pacers, with Cam Whitmore, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Fred VanVleet, and Tari Eason all scoring in double figures.
Here’s our look at broadcast details and potential lineups, which are largely based on each team’s initial game of the preseason. The NBA does not have its usual injury reporting rules in exhibition play, so there could be more late changes than if it was a regular-season game.
When and How to Watch
- Date: Thursday, Oct. 12
- Time: 7 p.m. CDT
- Live Stream: Rockets.com or Pelicans.com
Potential starting lineups
These lineups are based on each team’s exhibition opener.
Houston Rockets (1-0 preseason)
- Guard: Fred VanVleet
- Guard: Jalen Green
- Forward: Dillon Brooks
- Forward: Jabari Smith Jr.
- Center: Alperen Sengun
New Orleans Pelicans (0-1 preseason)
- Guard: CJ McCollum
- Guard: Herbert Jones
- Forward: Brandon Ingram
- Forward: Zion Williamson
- Center: Jonas Valanciunas
Injury/status reports
To be determined; Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said at Wednesday’s practice that veteran guard Reggie Bullock and forward Jeff Green would each make his preseason debut versus the Pelicans after sitting out Tuesday’s opener for planned maintenance.
For their preseason opener, the Pelicans were without a handful of players in Trey Murphy III (knee), Larry Nance Jr. (ankle), Jose Alvarado (ankle), Liam Robbins (leg), and Cody Zeller (back).
