Inside The Rockets

Rockets Have Christmas Day History

The Houston Rockets hold a special place in the NBA Christmas records.

Jeremy Brener

Apr 2, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of the Houston Rockets logo during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets at the American Airlines Center. The Rockets defeated the Mavericks 108-101. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Apr 2, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of the Houston Rockets logo during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets at the American Airlines Center. The Rockets defeated the Mavericks 108-101. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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The Houston Rockets are on the couch for Christmas Day this year, but that wasn't the case in the franchise's first year of existence in 1967.

Back when they were stationed in San Diego, the Rockets hosted their Southern California rival Los Angeles Lakers for the first-ever nationally televised game on Christmas Day.

The game was broadcast coast-to-coast on ABC, one of five basketball games on Dec. 25, and the Rockets pulled out a 104-101 victory against the eventual Western Conference champion Lakers.

Elgin Baylor led all scorers with 21 points while Gail Goodrich had 19 and Jerry West had 13 for the Lakers.

The Rockets were led in scoring by John Block, who had 20. He was one of six Rockets in double figures for the game. Pat Riley, who would become the Lakers head coach in the 1980's, was a rookie that year. He scored six points for the Rockets during the game.

Since then, the Rockets have played 11 more times on Christmas Day, with their last appearance coming in 2019 in a loss to the Golden State Warriors in another edition of the rivalry between the two teams throughout the past several years.

Perhaps the Rockets will have a chance to end their Christmas Day drought next year when the schedule is released.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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