Facing his former team while making his debut for the Rockets, Kevin Durant fell short at getting revenge on the Thunder as Houston lost to Oklahoma City 125-124 in a double overtime thriller to open the season.
For much of the evening, the Rockets seemed to have a slight edge in the back-and-forth game, taking as much as a 12-point lead over the reigning NBA champions in the third quarter. The Thunder fought back and eventually forced overtime. They went on to win the game after a second overtime period.
Durant, who was traded to the Rockets this offseason and signed a two-year, $90 million extension earlier this week, pointed to his missed free throw at the end of regulation and his foul on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander near the end of the second overtime period as the mistakes that defined the game, per Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle.
“I think those two plays are the reason we lost," Durant said, via Lerner.
Durant had a good night in his first game for the Rockets, recording 23 points with nine rebounds and three assists, but he did miss all four of his three-point attempts and could have won the game for Houston had he made that free throw attempt in the final 10 seconds of the game. He then fouled out of the contest toward the end of double overtime, and Gilgeous-Alexander capitalized by hitting both free throws to win the game.
Durant and the Rockets will look to rebound on Friday, when they take on the Pistons.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kevin Durant Shoulders Blame for Rockets' Double-Overtime Loss to Thunder.