Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Already in MVP Form in Thunder’s 2OT Opening Win Over Rockets

OKLAHOMA CITY — Picked up pieces while hoping every game this season can be as thrilling as Thunder-Rockets …

What an epic opener

You kind of hoped for something special. Ring night in Oklahoma City which doubled as NBC’s official return to NBA broadcasting. Plus that Kevin Durant guy was back in town. The potential was there. The Thunder’s 125–124 double-overtime win reached it. And then some.

This game had a little bit of everything. There were 22 lead changes. Another 12 ties. The supersized Rockets pounded Oklahoma City on the glass (51 to 39). The quicker Thunder blitzed Houston in transition (16 to two). Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in a fierce duel with Amen Thompson. Durant wrestling with Lu Dort. It was almost disappointing to see the game decided by something as anticlimactic as a couple of Gilgeous-Alexander free throws.

Oklahoma City entered the game favored to defend its title. Houston was on a short list of teams with the talent to knock the Thunder off. After Tuesday’s opener, both remain true.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played like an MVP

Final stat line for SGA: 35 points, five rebounds, five assists. And he had to work for all of them. Last season, Thompson emerged as one of the NBA’s top wing defenders. This season he looks like its best. Thompson’s length and quick feet bothered Gilgeous-Alexander early. Gilgeous-Alexander took just five shots in the first half. By the end of the third quarter, Thompson (12 points) was outscoring him.

In the fourth, Gilgeous-Alexander kicked it into gear. He scored 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting. When Thompson went out with a leg cramp early in the first overtime, Gilgeous-Alexander took advantage. He scored five points in the first OT. Another seven in the second. With Houston up one in the closing seconds, Gilgeous-Alexander got Durant in the air and forced a foul. Two free throws later and Oklahoma City walked away with the win.

“We did enough to win,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We have to be humble enough to realize we need to get better, even though we still won.”

Houston’s offense is a work in progress

Durant (23 points) showed why the Rockets prioritized acquiring him in the offseason, bailing Houston out of a bunch of offensive possessions. But the Rockets did little to help him out. Despite starting the largest recorded lineup in NBA history, too often Houston forced Durant to operate in isolation, often with Dort, one of the league’s top perimeter defenders, draped over him.

That has to change. A stat that is sure to make the Rockets cringe: three shot attempts for Durant in the second half. Houston’s offense needs to get creative in springing its All-Star wing. Steven Adams is one of the NBA’s best screen setters. Alperen Sengun started alongside him. Houston should have been running Dort into one of them on every possession.

The Rockets will figure it out. But the opener was evidence they have a long way to go.

Does Houston have a point guard problem?

Thompson threw a bit of a scare into Houston when he fell to the floor with leg cramps in the first overtime. From my seat at the scorer’s table I clocked Thompson first complaining about the cramping early in the second half, telling Rockets coach Ime Udoka he was having trouble pushing off. (But, Thompson reminded Udoka, “I can still play defense.”) When Thompson limped off the floor he had a long conversation with head athletic trainer Jason Biles, who told him the team didn’t need to risk aggravating the injury and losing Thompson for a few weeks.

Reed Sheppard, Thompson’s backup, struggled. Sheppard scored one point in the first overtime. He was scoreless in the second. Overall, Sheppard scored nine points (on 3-for-11 shooting) in 28 minutes.

Sheppard’s struggles highlighted a looming problem in Houston. Fred VanVleet’s season-ending knee injury left the Rockets short on experienced playmakers. Thompson looks more than ready for a starting role—besides elite defense, he chipped in 18 points and five assists—but Sheppard was shaky as his backup. The Thunder attacked Sheppard defensively and he struggled to get the team into the offense. Houston invested a lot in Sheppard, the third overall pick in the 2024 draft. But if he’s not ready to play meaningful minutes, the Rockets may have to look elsewhere for point guard help.

Rockets guard Amen Thompson reacts after a play against the Thunder on opening night. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Here comes Alperen Sengun

A major bright spot for the Rockets was Sengun, who racked up 39 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. A lot of it was what Houston saw last season: the shifty dribbling, the Nikola Jokic–like body control, the ability to get a shot off in traffic.

Here’s what Houston didn’t see: three-point shooting. Sengun was 5-for-8 from three-point range against Oklahoma City. In four NBA seasons, Sengun has never shot better than 33.3% from three-point range. Last season he shot a career low 23.3%. If Sengun adds a consistent three-point shot to his game, the 30-plus-point nights will come pretty regularly.

The Thunder have scary—make that scarier—depth

Only Oklahoma City could be without an All-Star, second-team All-NBA wing and not miss a beat. That’s because the Thunder continue to boast the league’s deepest well of talent. Cason Wallace started and scored 14 points. Ajay Mitchell came off the bench and scored 16. Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins chipped in with 18 points. Williams’s injury isn’t expected to sideline him long. But the Thunder showed they have more than enough firepower to (temporarily) replace him.

Maybe get off Kevin Durant’s back, Oklahoma City?

You would think after nine years, four team changes and the Thunder, you know, winning a championship there might be some forgiveness from the Oklahoma City faithful for Durant committing the high crime of choosing to play in another city. Not so much. Durant was loudly booed during player introductions, a reception that briefly brought a smile to his face.

The OKC crowd with loud boos for Kevin Durant 😅pic.twitter.com/FIt7vEd6lm
— Whistle (@WhistleSports) October 22, 2025

I get that Durant effectively ended an era in Oklahoma City. But he also helped put Thunder basketball on the map. Oklahoma City has enough to cheer for with its current stars. Maybe it’s time to lighten up on its old one.