OKLAHOMA CITY — Dancing with Kevin Durant, of course it came down to this. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had everybody’s stress levels in his hands. It couldn’t get any more Disney movie ending than this. The reigning MVP shifted and moved around. A pump-fake bought him gold. He ended the marathon at the free-throw line.

Talk about a finish. Heart rates were at all-time highs. People lost a few strands of hair. The Oklahoma City Thunder survived with a 125-124 double overtime win over the Houston Rockets. NBC couldn’t have asked for a more exciting outcome for its 2025-26 Opening Night.

Phew. This one will take a while to fully comprehend. Of course, it’s just the first of 82 games. They all equally mean the same. But sentimentally speaking, this one had a few extra kicks to it that made it closer resemble a playoff atmosphere.

Per NBA tradition, the Thunder held a pregame ceremony. The NBA champion had the chance to see their roster go one by one to greet Adam Silver, Clay Bennett and Sam Presti. After a four-month wait, they finally received the jewelry they earned.

Once grouped, the Thunder unveiled their 2025 NBA championship banner. That slowly rose to the top of Paycom Center. It was a lot of emotions they had to bury in just 10 minutes. And it showed on the court.

Already without Jalen Williams, the Thunder’s defense wasn’t as crisp as it was last season. While Chet Holmgren was aggressive from the start, the Rockets had no problem producing their own buckets. The Thunder faced a 30-27 deficit after the first quarter.

Gilgeous-Alexander was oddly quiet. Meanwhile, Durant and Alperen Sengun were a one-two punch. The Thunder only scored 24 points in the second frame. They entered halftime in a 57-51 deficit. Not insurmountable, but a little surprising.

It didn’t take long for the Thunder to call a timeout after the break. Amen Thompson’s finish through contact put the Rockets up 63-51. Less than two minutes into the second half, OKC was forced to call a timeout. The crowd was silent and concerned.

Afterward, Gilgeous-Alexander put on his Superman cape. He finally hit a couple of jumpers. That was enough to get going. The Rockets’ lead was cut to 79-75 after the third quarter. We now had a ball game. Little did the people in the building know, there was still plenty more basketball left.

As Sengun turned in a career night from the outside, the Thunder slowly chipped away. It turned into a back-and-forth affair. Gilgeous-Alexander’s stepback jumper rattled in. They finally had a 102-101 lead with 1:34 left. Alas, Houston quickly retook the lead.

With a chance to put all the pressure on the Thunder, Durant went to the free-throw line. Much to the crowd’s amusement, a split trip cracked open the door. Down by two points with nine seconds left, Gilgeous-Alexander walked the ball to one of his spots and scored on a pull-up mid-range jumper.

Tied at 104 points, Opening Night extended to overtime. While the Thunder created a six-point cushion, that slowly disappeared. After Holmgren fouled out, Sengun’s loud jam tied it up again at 115 points apiece with eight seconds left.

Gilgeous-Alexander had his pull-up jumper blocked. The Rockets collected the miss. But unaware of their timeout situation, Durant got away with one. He called a timeout when Houston didn’t possess one. What should’ve been a textbook technical foul that likely gives OKC the win turned into the biggest gift ever for the road team.

The Thunder stormed at the referees. They begged them to review the mishap. But much to their frustrations, all they could do was move on and prepare for a second overtime. Just some grueling bad luck that had the entire OKC crowd rain down boos.

Ah well. You have to move on. Fans can complain. The team can’t. They don’t have that luxury. By the second overtime, both teams carried dead legs. Nobody could buy a jumper. After Isaiah Hartenstein fouled out on a circus and-one layup by Durant, the Thunder had to rely on Jaylin Williams.

Driving through an open lane, Sengun’s feathery layup looked like the last straw. The Rockets had a 124-123 lead with 11 seconds left. Considering how poorly the offense looked, Gilgeous-Alexander needed to have a signature moment to carry a short-handed OKC squad to the finish line.

Well, that’s what he did. Gilgeous-Alexander managed to get Durant to bite on a pump-fake. The latter fouled out. The former knocked down both attempts with ease. Jabari Smith Jr. badly missed a turnaround jumper on the other end. That was that. An entertaining way to start the new season 1-0.

The Thunder shot 44% from the field and went 13-of-52 (25%) from 3. They shot 20-of-25 on free throws. They had 29 assists on 46 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Amazingly enough, Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 35 points. Holmgren stepped up with 28 points. Cason Wallace had 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Ajay Mitchell scored 16 points off the bench. Aaron Wiggins also had 10 points.

Meanwhile, the Rockets shot 44% from the field and went 11-of-39 (28.2%) from 3. They shot 27-of-31 on free throws. They had 23 assists on 43 baskets. Four Rockets players scored double-digit points.

Sengun was the best player on the floor. He had a monster 39 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Durant’s debut finished with 23 points and nine rebounds. Thompson had 18 points before a calf injury sidelined him in the second overtime. Smith Jr. had 16 points.

This one didn’t lack in drama. The NBA and NBC producers must’ve loved how this played out. You had the pregame ceremony theatrics of Durant in the building for the championship celebration. Meanwhile, the game itself was entertaining early-season basketball. Gilgeous-Alexander stepped up and delivered his first superhero moment of the year.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus

It’s not about how you start, but how you finish. Gilgeous-Alexander can attest to that adage. Matched up against Durant in the final seconds, getting him on a pump-fake to foul out and deliver the game-winning points at the free-throw line borders on cheesy fiction.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points on 12-of-26 shooting, five assists and five rebounds. He shot 1-of-9 from 3 and went 10-of-14 on free throws. He had two steals and two blocks.

Early on, it looked like we were on the verge of a rare Gilgeous-Alexander off-game. A five-point first half was highlighted by constant double teams. Williams’ absence was noticeable from the jump because of that. With only 11 points through three quarters, things looked dire.

And then Gilgeous-Alexander put on his Superman cape. He refused to let the Rockets spoil Ring Night. It only took a few mid-range jumpers going through before he found a groove. He scored 12 points in the fourth quarter alone. His game-tying pull-up jumper may get lost in the shuffle, but that was the first of many big-time buckets.

One by one, the Thunder lost their best players. Williams was already out. Holmgren and Hartenstein soon joined him on the bench as they were disqualified. But Gilgeous-Alexander did just enough to carry OKC to a grit-your-teeth 58-minute win.

To draw the game-winning foul on Durant was just storybook stuff. Every Thunder fan couldn’t wait to see what the reigning MVP had in store for one of OKC’s other previous MVP winners. By the end of the night, he turned in an efficient 35-point performance. Can’t ask for much more.

Chet Holmgren: A-plus

Cutting baseline, Holmgren muscled his way through Smith Jr.’s rotation. He finished around contact and drew an and-one call. The first bucket of the 2025-26 regular season belongs to him. But more importantly than that trivia fact, he previewed the type of night he had.

Holmgren finished with 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting, seven rebounds and two assists. He shot 2-of-5 from 3 and went 4-of-4 on free throws. His night was cut short with six fouls, but he still did enough to step up as OKC’s second-best player.

This is what the Thunder had hoped to see from Holmgren. An aggressive start saw him score 18 points in the first half. They needed that with Gilgeous-Alexander blanketed. He slashed his way to the basket. The turnaround jumper was money. He gifted his teammates assists with his catch-and-shoot looks.

No dead legs or short jumpers this time. Holmgren hit on a couple of outside looks in the first overtime. Amazing what happens when you’re not playing on short notice or trying to return from a hip fracture. Once he fouled out, the Thunder bled points and let the Rockets back into it.

Even though he didn’t finish on the floor, Holmgren looked every bit of an All-Star player. It could’ve happened last season, but a hip fracture altered his season. If he can stay healthy and remain this aggressive of a scorer, the Thunder should be able to survive Williams’ absence.

Cason Wallace: A

As Reed Sheppard lost his handle, Wallace jumped up for the ball. He added another steal to his collection. Sprinting down the court, he threw down a vicious dunk that demonstrated his one-for-one athleticism that goes under the radar at times.

Wallace finished with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting, seven rebounds and five assists. He shot 3-of-8 from 3 and went 1-of-2 on free throws. He also had four steals.

The usual NBA saying is that the third season is when players make their biggest leaps. Through Opening Night, Wallace looks on track. With the pile of absences, he was given more shot-creation opportunities. He was also more of a playmaker. That’s been a talking point for a year now.

And the defense at this point speaks for itself. Wallace has that in his DNA. The Thunder managed to win the possession battle by causing turnovers. He was at the forefront of that. He disrupted several Rockets’ possessions and created transition opportunities.

You have to like what Wallace did. He was given the starting nod and didn’t look back. It’ll be interesting to see how his role is handled. He feels on the cusp of a breakout, but it will be a delicate dance to give him the leeway to do that under their current roster. A rich person’s problem, really.

Ajay Mitchell: A

Needing a dosage of energy, Mitchell delivered. No possession goes to waste on the Thunder. And the end of the first half showed you why. His pump-fake bought him a four-point play when Josh Okogie fouled him on an outside bucket. That gave OKC some buzz heading into the locker room.

Mitchell finished with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, two rebounds and two assists. He shot 3-of-6 from 3 and went 1-of-1 on free throws. He also had one block.

After being out for so long in high-leverage games, this was a nice reminder of how much easier Mitchell makes everything look in the second unit. Especially with Williams and Isaiah Joe out. He kept the Thunder afloat when Gilgeous-Alexander was off the floor. That’ll be his top responsibility this season.

Everybody knows Mitchell can get to the cup, but he showed more style. He was a pull-up outside threat. Running around screens gave him chances to get decent looks. It’s a wrinkle he didn’t really show last season but hopes to do more this year.

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