New Orleans Pelicans to visit Houston for October 15 preseason game

In the first schedule leak of Houston’s 2024-25 year, Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans will travel to Toyota Center to face Alperen Sengun and the Rockets on Tuesday, October 15.

It’s the final preseason game for the Pelicans, which would presumably mean that the NBA’s 2024-25 regular season will start within a few days to a week after that Oct. 15 finale date.

The complete schedules for all 30 NBA teams will be released in August, with single game tickets available for purchase shortly after.

The Pelicans (49-33) are a Southwest Division rival of the Rockets, and they should be improved in 2024-25 after swinging an offseason trade for former Atlanta Hawks star Dejounte Murray. As things stand, Murray is joining Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and CJ McCollum to form a promising core of established veterans.

Meanwhile, the Rockets (41-41) are expected to bring back their entire starting lineup of Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Jabari Smith Jr. and Sengun. Houston’s bench should be fortified after the returns of Tari Eason and Steven Adams from injury and the drafting of No. 3 overall pick Reed Sheppard in the 2024 first round.