NBA fans couldn’t have asked for more for the start of the 2025-26 season. With decisive baskets and free throws from MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Houston Rockets in a double overtime, on the night of the ring ceremony, against the former franchise icon, Kevin Durant. Durant’s new team proved to be strong, showing the current champions that they have another contender in the competitive Western Conference. In another development, the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers began their participation in the opening day. Luka Doncic debuted in his first full season with the Lakers, although without LeBron James, who will be out for three to four weeks due to sciatica.
Highlights of the opening day
These are the key moments from the opening night games, as well as expert takeaways.Rockets 124, Thunder 125 (2OT)
SGA’s coldness knows no boundsThe annotation title was sweet. The MVP was a monumental achievement. But what Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wants most is to be remembered as one of the all-time NBA winners. In a night that celebrated the first big step on that path, upon seeing the 2024-25 championship banner raised to the Paycom Center ceiling, Gilgeous-Alexander demonstrated the remarkable combination of courage and skill that gives him the opportunity to achieve all his ambitious goals. Nothing was easy for Gilgeous-Alexander against a great Houston team with a fierce defense that featured one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, Amen Thompson. The difficult task became even more difficult with the absence of Jalen Williams (wrist), who had to watch the game from the bench. Gilgeous-Alexander waited patiently, as he remained at five points in the first half, less than any of his halftime totals from last season. He only had 11 at the end of the third quarter. Then, Gilgeous-Alexander took control to put the Thunder in a position to win. He scored a dozen points in the final quarter, including a couple of difficult jump shots, the last one over Thompson to tie the score with seconds remaining. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points, in addition to five rebounds, five assists, two steals, two blocks, and several key plays that didn’t appear on the stat sheet. He scored the winning free throws after faking out Kevin Durant, the former Thunder star who has earned the ire of the OKC fans since he left, making a feint at him. And Gilgeous-Alexander once again left the court as the winner.Led by Sengun, Houston’s big lineup shows promiseAlperen Sengun is thriving in his growing role as the Rockets’ offensive engine, scoring a career-high five three-pointers and becoming the second player in franchise history to start a season multiple times with at least 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. The fourth-year veteran initiated most of Houston’s offense in the loss at OKC, scoring 39 points, the most in the game, with 11 rebounds and a team-high seven assists to lead a starting unit that averaged a height of 82.2 inches, the tallest starting group in an opening game since starters began being tracked in 1970-71, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Rockets are expected to continue experimenting with this lineup, which included Thompson and Kevin Durant at the guard position, Jabari Smith Jr. and Sengun on the wings, and Steven Adams at center. The offense is still a work in progress, but Houston limited OKC’s starters to 2 of 22 from long range in regulation.Amen Thompson is a problem, but that 3-point shot…Thompson’s development is one of the most important stories of the NBA this season, and the opening game showed the highest and lowest points for the young guard, before he left the game in overtime with an apparent injury.On the plus side, Thompson was the primary defender who kept Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at bay for most of the night (Gilgeous-Alexander felt noticeably more comfortable attacking all Rockets defenders except Thompson) and hit 8 of 10 2-point shots. Thompson is so quick on his drives and strong fighting through contact that he seemed almost unstoppable at the rim.
But on the downside, the most important number for Houston on Tuesday was zero. That is, zero three-pointers made by Thompson, who shot 0 for 7 from beyond the arc, with several ugly misses. Opposing defenses will gladly give Thompson all the open three-pointers he wants, as he only hit 14% as a rookie and 27% as a second-year player. Thompson is a valuable player regardless of his three-point percentage, but if he can’t improve significantly from distance, Houston’s offense could remain limited all season. This statistic could determine the height of the Rockets’ ceiling as potential championship contenders.
