Rockets 2020-21 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds and Record Predictions

The clock is ticking for the Houston Rockets as they attempt to capitalize on a championship window that is rapidly closing.

Many will argue the Rockets already lost their best shot to win a title during the James Harden era, and now the Harden era is unraveling at light speed.

The Athletic's Kelly Iko, Sam Amick, and Shams Charania reported Nov. 11 that Russell Westbrook was looking to get traded. Five days later, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Harden turned down a two-year, $103 million extension and "has made it clear to ownership that he's singularly focused on a trade to the Brooklyn Nets."

The Rockets ultimately traded Westbrook to the Washington Wizards for John Wall and a future first-round pick. Wall hasn't played in an NBA game since Dec. 26, 2018, so it might be a lateral move at best for Houston.

Trading away Robert Covington also meant losing a versatile defender and floor-spacer.

Stephen Silas is getting a trial by fire in his first year as an NBA head coach.

2020-21 Rockets Schedule Details

Season Opener: Dec. 23 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

Championship Odds: +7000 (via FanDuel)

First-Half Schedule: NBA.com

Top Matchups

Los Angeles Lakers 

To say anything short of a championship in 2021 constitutes a failure would be unfair because that implies the Rockets are one of the clear title favorites. Instead, they're in the group of teams clearly below that level.

Still, failing to reach the NBA Finals would qualify as disappointing given how close Houston has gotten to winning the Western Conference for a fifth time.

What better way to judge the Rockets than how they perform against the reigning champs?

The Lakers were a clear level above the Rockets in the playoffs, and the gulf might continue to grow. Los Angeles was without Avery Bradley in that series, and the team will presumably be more cohesive now that LeBron James and Anthony Davis have had a full season together.

Bradley left to join the Miami Heat as a free agent, but the Lakers countered by adding Dennis Schroder in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder and signing Montrezl Harrell, Wesley Matthews and Marc Gasol. 

As much as regular-season games can reveal anything, these head-to-head matchups should provide some idea as to Houston's ceiling. Maybe the team is as far back—or even further—than its skeptics think, or perhaps the Rockets can show they've rediscovered a new level.

Golden State Warriors

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

The rivalry between the Rockets and Golden State lost some steam last year because of how dreadful the Warriors were. Their roster was unrecognizable as Klay Thompson missed the entire year and Stephen Curry was limited to five games.

Thompson is expected to miss the entire season yet again after tearing his Achilles during a workout in November. 

Now, the Rockets and Warriors' trajectories are aligned.

The Lakers will be expected by many to repeat, or at least win the West for the second straight year. The Los Angeles Clippers flamed out in the playoffs but should be better assuming they recognize why everything went wrong and address the issues.

Beyond the two L.A. teams, the fight for a top-four seed will be a free-for-all, one in which Houston and Golden State should be involved. With any luck, their records will be such that they pair up in the first round of the playoffs.

Season Forecast

Houston's 2020-21 projections hinge largely on how long Harden remains with the team.

The Rockets won 65 games in 2017-18. Since then, their winning percentage has fallen in each of the last two years. That trend could continue in 2020-21.

Former general manager Daryl Morey was creative in finding ways to facilitate impactful trades when you thought Houston had exhausted all of its assets or salary-cap space. The acquisitions of Covington and Chris Paul were prime examples. However, he's now with the Philadelphia 76ers. 

The Rockets' draft capital is limited, and they have little in the way of younger stars who could be flipped for proven veterans. Absent trading Harden, new general manager Rafael Stone is effectively out of options after swapping Westbrook for Wall and moving Covington on to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Standing pat in the West may not be good enough, as the Warriors, New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies should all improve after finishing below the Rockets in the standings.

It's also hard to know how Houston will perform since so much of its roster was tailored to Mike D'Antoni's system.

The Rockets shouldn't be in danger of missing the playoffs under Silas assuming Harden sticks around, but he might struggle to forestall their downward trend.

Record Prediction: 40-32

Must be 21+ and present in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, West Virginia, Colorado, or Tennessee. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. See sportsbook.fanduel.com for details.