No ill effects from long trip

After a pair of off days and three days for practices, the Rockets said they have not been slowed by their trip to Japan for the preseason. They pick up their preseason schedule against the Spurs on Wednesday in Toyota Center and play in Miami on Friday, saying there has not been a setback from their difficult preseason travel schedule.

“We had really good practices the last couple days,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We eased off (Tuesday) because we have a couple exhibition games coming up. They’re working hard. They know what they need to do and they’re trying to get it done.”

The challenge of interjecting NBA Global Games to the preseason, especially as far off as Asia, is not always about the time lost to travel. The NBA and players’ union seek to make up for that by allowing teams involved to begin training camp early.

The potential detriment to getting ready for the start of the regular season often comes if work following the trip is sacrificed, when often gripped by jet lag and other fatigue.

“I think we did a great job of balancing it,” center Tyson Chandler said. “That was a difficult trip. It was a great trip, but it is a difficult trip as far as (changing) time zones and getting back acclimated, your body responding. Guys have been doing pretty well.”

The Rockets sought to make travel easier by stopping in Honolulu for four days before moving on to Tokyo. After a day off in Tokyo, they had three practices and two games before returning to Houston.

“Even while we were on that trip there were some great games that we played,” guard James Harden said. “We had our practices. We watched film. Everybody’s learning.”