Rockets to host Spurs on Christmas, play Nuggets opening night

The Rockets' one-year hiatus from a Christmas Day game will end in 2015 when they host the San Antonio Spurs.

According to multiple reports, the reigning Southwest Division champs will take on their rival on Dec. 25 in one of the evening games. The other game from the schedule that leaked is opening night, when the Rockets will take on the Nuggets.

The first game of the season looks to be one of the typical juicy matchups the NBA likes to put in big spots, with a key player against his former team. Whether that means Ty Lawson won't be suspended or not, I doubt it. If he plays, great. If not I guess we have a Nick Johnson Revenge Game to look forward to.

Christmas Day is invariably the biggest NBA day of the season. It's what Thanksgiving is to football, with more or less family baggage, depending on your family. The Cavs and Warriors will play earlier that day, and the Clippers and Lakers will play at night. This means big ratings and a snazzy new uniform.

The full schedule gets released during an NBATV special at 5 p.m. CT. We'll have more coverage of that soon.