Backup center Steven Adams and reserve guard Reed Sheppard are both listed as questionable to play in Friday’s nationally televised showdown between the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs.
The game is being played on the University of Texas at Austin campus, approximately 80 miles north of San Antonio.
Adams sat out Wednesday’s regular-season opener with what is listed by the team as right calf tightness/soreness. Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said the issue popped up after a practice earlier in the week.
Meanwhile, Sheppard is listed as questionable due to a left knee contusion/bone bruise, which presumably happened during Wednesday’s game. The third-year guard struggled in his 16 minutes, shooting 1-of-6 from 3-point range (16.7%) while committing three turnovers.
Should Adams and Sheppard be unavailable, players such as Marcus Smart, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Clint Capela could be in line for more minutes from the Rockets.
Rockets injury report:
— Varun Shankar (@ByVarunShankar) October 22, 2026
- Steven Adams remains QUESTIONABLE with right calf tightness/soreness
- Reed Sheppard added to injury report, QUESTIONABLE with left knee contusion/bone bruise.
For Spurs: Fox and K. Johnson QUESTIONABLE. Tobias Harris and Jayden Quaintance OUT.
The Spurs, however, are far from healthy themselves. Tobias Harris is out with a left calf strain, while Keldon Johnson (mouth laceration) and De’Aaron Fox (right wrist sprain) are both questionable.
Should Fox sit out, that could open up a path to higher usage for talented second-year guard Dylan Harper.
Houston enters at 1-0 after Wednesday’s blowout victory over Dallas, while San Antonio is 0-1 after losing Tuesday’s opener versus Oklahoma City.
Led by Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs went 3-1 against Houston last season and ultimately won the Western Conference title. So, for Kevin Durant and the Rockets, it’s an opportunity to try and make an early season statement against what is believed to be one of the NBA’s best teams.
Tipoff is at 8:30 p.m. Central, and the game will be televised and streamed to a national audience via Prime Video.
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Steven Adams is officially ruled out tonight with calf soreness after yesterday’s training.
— Steven Adams Stats (@funakistats) October 22, 2026
Any other part of the body and he likely plays… the days of playing through calf soreness are over
Likely back for Sunday’s game https://t.co/JmetEUZcQO
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets-Spurs injuries: Steven Adams, Reed Sheppard among those in question