Rockets Work to Improve Conditioning After COVID-19 Hiatus

The Rockets will hold their first of three scrimmages in Orlando on July 24 before resuming the regular season on July 31.

The Rockets' will have gone nearly five months between games when they resume the season against Dallas on July 31. Such a long break has placed players closer to their training-camp shape than midseason form, necessitating multiple weeks of practice between arrival in Orlando and the resumption of the 2019-20 season. Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni is aware of the challenge ahead.

"You risk too much if you think you're going to get your team up to playoff form right from the first game," D'Antoni told the media following Houston's practice on Monday. "We'll keep ramping up, keep getting better so hopefully when we get to the playoffs we'll be ready to roll."

Tuesday marked the Rockets' fourth practice in Orlando. Houston ramped up its training camp activities on Tuesday, holding its first five-on-five scrimmage in over four months. 

"Today we played a lot more 5-on-5, which is really the first day we got into it," D'Antoni said on Tuesday. "They had three days to ramp up, and then today we went after it pretty hard. ...I thought it was really good. I thought the defensive intensity was super."

The Rockets held a full practice on Tuesday, though they still aren't at full strength as they approaches their second week in Orlando. Neither Russell Westbrook nor James Harden flew with the team last week, and Westbrook announced he tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. Harden may join Westbrook on the flight to Orlando when Westbrook ends his quarantine, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. 

A source tells our NBA Insider @ShamsCharania that Rockets star James Harden is feeling fine, working out and may travel with Russell Westbrook to Orlando when Westbrook clears from coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/O8CsLBxGJK

— Stadium (@Stadium) July 14, 2020

Houston will continue to practice in Orlando across the next two weeks before its first scrimmage on July 24. The Rockets will participate in a trio of scrimmages before resuming the regular season against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks. Houston is currently No. 6 in the Western Conference at 40–24.