Getty Chet Holmgren and the Thunder take on Jabari Smith Jr. and the Rockets in a must-watch Summer League matchup on Saturday night.
The Chet Holmgren Show moves to Las Vegas on Saturday night, as the must-see No. 2 pick and the Oklahoma City Thunder take on Jabari Smith Jr. and the Houston Rockets.
The game (8 p.m. ET start time) will be televised on ESPN2. But if you don’t have cable, here are some different ways you can watch a live stream of the Thunder vs Rockets online, with the first two options offering a free trial:
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FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN2 and 100-plus other live TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch Thunder vs Rockets live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Fubo credentials to log in and watch.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ESPN2 is in every one, and you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch Thunder vs Rockets live on the DirecTV Stream app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the DirecTV Stream website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your DirecTV Stream credentials to log in and watch.
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN2 and 40-plus other live TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” bundle. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with the ESPN channels, and you can your first month for half off:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch Thunder vs Rockets live on the Sling TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Sling TV website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Sling credentials to log in and watch.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN2 and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which now also includes access to both ESPN+ and Disney+:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch Thunder vs Rockets live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Hulu credentials to log in and watch.
Thunder vs Rockets Summer League Preview
Of course, everyone wants to take another look at Jabari Smith Jr. and Chet Holmgren, and we are in for the ride.
The Rockets were not as impressive as hoped in their opening Summer League game. Worse yet, their marquee rookie, No. 3 draft pick Jabari Smith Jr., was entirely underwhelming in his performance. He scored a mere 10 points and was thoroughly overshadowed by the Magic’s Paolo Banchero.
Smith admitted he was nervous for his first game. He also explained, “I could have been more involved in the offense just off of me. Finding ways to get involved in the offense will follow the more I learn the system. I feel like I was involved for the most part. I have to make open shots and crash the glass more moving forward.”
But there is no need for Rockets fans to overreact. It is only one game, and Jabari did take 7 boards in the game. Moreover, the Summer League coach, Rick Higgins, admitted that he did not set up the plays properly to maximize Smith’s offensive involvement. If so, watching how the 19-year-old reacts to a suboptimal start will be fascinating.
Another bit of good news for Houston was the performance of Tari Eason. Indeed, with all the excitement around Jabari, it is easy to forget that Eason was also a high pick at no. 17. The 21-year-old power forward is coming off a strong year at LSU, and his greater experience may have helped. Tari dominated the boards with 13 rebounds for the game.
Oklahoma City hopes to showcase several first-round draft picks, including No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren of Gonzaga. The big man has been highly influential in the Summer League, most notably with a 23-point and six block effort in his debut performance.
But Oklahoma City has so much more to offer than just their marquee pick. Watch out for Jalen Williams, emerging as a third option on this team behind Holmgren and Giddy. He scored a combined 33 points in his first two Summer League games. And, of course, incoming second-year Josh Giddey needs no introduction.
The Thunder will be encouraged by a set of solid performances at the Utah Summer League. They outscored opponents considerably in the first two games and lost the last by a nose.
So, will Smith bounce back? Will Holmgren continue to dominate? Only one way to find out.