The Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic will tip off the 2023-24 NBA regular season on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. ET at Amway Center. The Magic are four-point spread favorites and the game total is 221.5 points.
Last season, these teams split their two regular-season meetings.
Houston is lifting off to a new era of Rockets basketball. The franchise made several changes this offseason, starting at head coach with the hiring of Ime Udoka. He's hardly the only new face in H-Town, however, as the Rockets figure to be a much more competitive ballclub with Fred VanVleet (19.3 PPG and 7.2 APG) and Dillon Brooks (14.3 PPG) leading the charge. Houston also jettisoned Kevin Porter Jr. to Oklahoma City and added Jeff Green, Reggie Bullock, and Aaron Holiday.
Will the Rockets' newcomers significantly bolster the team's young core? Jalen Green (22.1 PPG) and Jabari Smith (12.8 PPG and 7.2 RPG) have bright futures, and 2023 first-round draft picks Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore may need time to develop, but there is plen ty to be excited about in Houston.
Last season, the Rockets scored 110.7 points per game (28th) and shot 45.7 percent from the field (28th), including 32.7 percent from three-point range (30th). Its opponents scored 118.6 points per game (28th) and shot 48.2 percent (21st) with a 37.4 shooting percentage from deep (27th). Houston ranked 13th in pace of play, per Dunks and Threes.