NBA Opening Day: Oklahoma City Thunder begin title defense with thrilling double-OT win over the Houston Rockets 

MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was not going to let the Houston Rockets spoil the Oklahoma City Thunder’s banner night after leading the defending champions to a thrilling double-overtime win, 125-124.

Both teams made pivotal plays – and mistakes – down the stretch. The game eventually boiled down to SGA drawing a foul on Kevin Durant, who picked up his sixth and final foul, to give the Thunder the lead with 2 seconds left in the second overtime.

Jabari Smith had a final chance to snatch the opening-night win, but airballed the shot. Alperen Sengun finished the game with a game-high 39 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists.

The MVP also sank a jumper in regulation to send the game to overtime as he finished with 35 points, 30 of which came after the first half, along with five assists and five rebounds. On the other end, the former prince of OKC, Durant, recorded 23 points, three assists, and nine rebounds in his Houston debut.

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Game won ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/KBDoyqJWqK

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 22, 2025

Controversy surrounded the game in the first overtime when both teams were tied and Durant picked up a rebound, then proceeded to call a timeout despite the Rockets having none.. A possible technical foul would have been called that would have given the Thunder a chance to end the game then and there, but the referees did not acknowledge the timeout, sending the game to a second overtime.

Both teams were cold from beyond the arc. The Thunder trailed for most of regulation due to their reliance on their cold three-point shooting as they sank only 13 of their 52 (25%) long-range attempts. Houston didn’t shoot significantly better than the Thunder after going 11-39 (28.2%) from three, but had the edge due to their overall shot selection.

Despite not adding pieces to its championship roster, the Thunder still looks unstoppable in some stretches. The loss of Williams to injury will hamper them for the opening stretch of the season, but this gutsy win just showed why OKC is the defending champion.

The Rockets look like they’re still adjusting without starting point guard Fred VanVleet after hunting mismatches and utilizing isolation sets the whole game. Sengun has stepped up to be a primary scorer, but he can only do so much. KD, despite finishing with a solid stat line, did not look like the Slim Reaper. It will be interesting to see how the season plays out for Houston and how they can fill the huge playmaking gap left by VanVleet.

Key Stats:

Most Points: Alperen Sengun (39 points in 49 minutes)

Most Assists: Steven Adams (13 rebounds in 37 minutes)

Most Rebounds: Houston Rockets (51 compared to OKC’s 39)

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