The 2025-26 NBA season could not have started more dramatically. On October 21, 2025, the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder played out an instant classic at Paycom Center, with the reigning champions surviving a full-scale assault from Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun to win 125-124 in double overtime. It was just the sixth time in NBA history that an opening night game went to double overtime, and the first time since 2005.

Thunder fans got everything they could have wanted on the night, a ring ceremony, a championship banner unveiling and a victory over ex-Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant appearing in his first game as a Houston Rocket. The atmosphere inside Paycom Center was electric from tip-off, with Durant met by thunderous boos during pregame introductions and throughout much of the contest before delivering a performance that very nearly silenced the building.

Alperen Sengun led Houston with 39 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists on 12-of-24 shooting, including a career-high five three-pointers. The Turkish centre was relentless all night, keeping the Rockets in front at crucial moments and providing a putback dunk in the first overtime to tie the game and force a second additional period. Durant finished with 23 points and nine rebounds on 9-of-16 shooting in his Rockets debut, showing precisely why Houston moved to acquire him in the offseason.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 35 points, five rebounds and five assists on 12-of-26 shooting. He had a quiet first half with just five points at the break, but turned the game around when it mattered most. His short jumper with 2.1 seconds remaining in the fourth tied the game at 104 and sent proceedings to overtime, before he ultimately sealed the victory with two free throws in the closing seconds of the second overtime.

Chet Holmgren contributed 28 points and seven rebounds on 11-of-17 shooting. Ajay Mitchell added 16 points off the bench including a four-point play to close the first half, and Cason Wallace chipped in 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists while playing a composed all-around role for the champions. For Houston, Amen Thompson was dangerous in the opening quarter and Jabari Smith Jr. connected from three during the closing stages of regulation to keep the Rockets alive. It was a full team effort from both sides across six periods of basketball.

Full Box Score

Star Player Head-to-Head

Team Stats Comparison

Scoring by Period

The game’s conclusion belonged to Gilgeous-Alexander, who carried the champions through a night where Sengun simply refused to let Houston lose. The Rockets’ centre set career highs in three-pointers made, distributed seven assists and was moments away from winning the game on multiple occasions. For Oklahoma City, the narrow survival signalled that a title defence was going to be a serious challenge, and that the retooled Rockets with Durant and Sengun had arrived as the Western Conference’s most dangerous new threat.

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