Fantastic Finish: Thunder outlast Rockets in 2OT on ring night.
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Thunder needed a Game 7 to prove it was the best team last season, then two overtimes to open this season and show that … not much has changed?
Perhaps. They’ll need several more months of collecting receipts in order to guarantee that status. Until then, this will do, a satisfying if not convincing one-point win over a Rockets’ team that may qualify as a threat in the Western Conference — and a Kia MVP-like finishing touch by, who else, the reigning MVP.
If nothing else, the 2025-26 NBA season began with an entertaining game that held suspense until the last second of that second OT. And the two most visible players, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Kevin Durant, were both involved in the second OT play that ultimately decided the outcome in the final seconds.
Aside from the game, raising the 2024-25 championship banner was a landmark moment for an Oklahoma City franchise that lost the 2012 Finals, then in 2016 let a 3-1 conference final lead slip away, and perhaps would’ve had a pair of other chances at a title over the last decade if not for untimely injuries to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
“Seeing the banner up there was cool, knowing it’ll be up there forever,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “Special night.”
Here are four takeaways from ring night — when the Thunder harked back to the summer of 2025 once last time before looking ahead:
1. Shai showed out when it counted
For a little more than three quarters Tuesday, his impact was mild, and at times he went missing. When he re-entered the game for good with 7 1/2 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Shai had just 11 points and a pair of free throw attempts — not typical for a player who averaged 32.7 points last season and made regular trips to the line.
But what followed was typical — Shai emerged in the moment of truth. He scored 24 points from that point forward, finished with 35, and carried OKC with Chet Holmgren on the bench after fouling out and Jalen Williams on the bench in street clothes.
“I knew I had to be more aggressive,” he said.
The finishing touch was a chef’s kiss, because not only did he sink the game-winning free throws with two seconds left, he did so with a tricky dribble that left Durant shook and caused KD to foul out. That was a double whammy supplied by Shai: Win the game, and remove KD from the Rockets’ last possession of the game when Houston needed a bucket.
2. He’s still Kevin Boo-rant here
He was the last of the Rockets to leave the locker room and appear on the court for pregame warmups. You could tell because suddenly, the Paycom Center crowd — on an otherwise festive night — snapped into action.
That’s what it was for Durant on this night — same as every other night since he left OKC and reappeared in another team’s uniform. Basically, the raising of a banner did not make them forget, or forgive. They’re still salty over Durant, after all these years.
By comparison: Steven Adams, Durant’s teammate in Houston and a cult figure during his time in OKC, received a standing ovation — as did Serge Ibaka, in town for the game. Even more: Carmelo Anthony, part of the NBC crew, was warmly applauded — and he played only one season in OKC.
Kevin Durant throws it down for his first bucket with the Rockets.
Fortunately, as is custom, the visiting team stays in the locker room during the ring ceremony; Durant wasn’t forced to watch and soak all that in (although Adams and Jeff Green, both Thunder-exes, did).
“It’s part of the brand of OKC to boo me when my name gets introduced,” said Durant, who took it in stride. “But it’s all love after that.”
Anyway, aside from the rough verbal treatment, Durant’s debut with Houston was uneven at best and, in the end, deflating after 47 exhausting minutes:
- He signaled for a timeout the Rockets didn’t have with 1.3 seconds left in the first overtime. Alperen Sengun warned him too late, and the Thunder players and bench were enraged when the officiating crew missed it (“I said what needed to be said,” said OKC coach Mark Daigneault). Without the technical free throw for OKC, the game remained tied and went to another extra period.
- He missed the first of two free throws in the final seconds of regulation, which allowed Shai to force overtime with a mid-range jumper.
- He fouled Shai with two seconds left in the second OT and fouled out.
- He couldn’t break free of Lu Dort, who surrendered five inches to KD but whose trademark smarts and tenacity compensated nicely. Durant had just two baskets after the third quarter.
That last nugget was revealing, because the Rockets traded for Durant last summer for these very moments — to bail out Houston by getting buckets late in games. That was a sorely missing ingredient with the Rockets last season, which was revealed in the playoffs when Jalen Green — re-routed to Phoenix in the KD trade — misfired and flamed out in fourth quarters.
As for the missed free throw and the foul on Shai, KD accepted the blame: “Those two plays are the reason we lost. I’ve got to do better … those opportunities to get a stop to seal the game, they don’t come around often.”
Anyway, the Rockets were also vulnerable in the closing moments because Amen Thompson suffered a muscle strain in the first OT and was done. Sengun tried to carry the club and almost succeeded; his second-highest scoring game ever (39 points) caused problems even for OKC’s solid defense.
Which leads to …
3. Rockets’ ‘Tall Ball’ might loom large
Houston started four 6-foot-11 players and one at 6-foot-7, and used that lineup for much of the contest. This was borne out of necessity; with Fred VanVleet done for the season, the Rockets are light on point guards but heavy on size.
Durant, Sengun, Steven Adams and Jabari Smith Jr., all 6-foot-11, joined Thompson to form one of the tallest lineups in NBA history. The purpose: Create size mismatches, dominate the rim and paint at both ends, and rely on Thompson’s improving ball-handling skills to minimize the loss of VanVleet.
The verdict? Well, one game isn’t the right sample size. Houston might use this to its advantage over most teams. But against the Thunder, loaded with quick normal-sized guards who are excellent defenders, there was no massive edge for Houston.
Alperen Sengun delivers a game-high 39 points in season opener against the Thunder.
The Rockets had 21 turnovers, four each by Sengun, Thompson and Durant, who had most of the playmaking duties. When the Rockets used second-year guard Reed Sheppard at the point to help with the playmaking, Oklahoma City immediately hunted him on defense.
4. OKC still down a Dub
Jalen Williams didn’t have offseason finger surgery, because that would’ve been problematic when he slipped on the championship ring.
Yet: He’s still mending from July 1 surgery to repair torn ligaments in his wrist — he played a good portion of the postseason with the injury — and his timetable to return is uncertain. Until he does, OKC will be incomplete. Williams hasn’t played since Game 7 of the NBA Finals, which was 121 days ago — 127 removed from his epic 40-point takedown of the Pacers in Game 5.
The Thunder’s depth must compensate mainly with scoring, and Tuesday provided some encouragement. Ajay Mitchell was terrific off the bench (16 points on 50% shooting), Cason Wallace had a crucial 3-pointer in the second overtime and Aaron Wiggins provided 10 points.
That’s what separates OKC from even the contenders, the ability to elevate the minutes of role players and get production from them.
“We just hung with the game and worked the game,” said Daigneault. “Then situations you’ve got to be able to handle the right way, we did a pretty good job for this being early in the season.”
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can email him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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