Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander totaled 35 points, five rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals in a win over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday in Oklahoma City. Photo by Gerald Leong/EPA
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 24 points after the third quarter to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder past the Houston Rockets in the NBA’s 2025 season opener.
The reigning regular season and NBA Finals MVP netted 11 points through the first three quarters of the 125-124 double-overtime triumph Tuesday in Oklahoma City.
He poured in a dozen in the fourth, five in the first overtime and seven over the final five minutes. He also chipped in five assists, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
“We did enough defensively to get a win,” Gilgeous-Alexander said on the ESPN broadcast. “First win of the season, we were pretty rusty, but it’s a good start.”
The Thunder and Rockets each made about 44% of their shots. The game featured 22 lead changes and was tied a dozen times. The Thunder, who trailed by as many as a dozen points, outscored the Rockets 50-44 in the paint, 16-2 off fast breaks and 36-24 off the bench.
“It was a great starting point for us,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault told reporters. “I thought they dictated the tempo of the game early. I thought we were able to get some of our pressure and some of our stuff in the game in the second half. … We just kinda hung with the game and worked the game.”
Thunder forward Chet Holmgren scored 28 points in the victory. Guard Ajai Mitchell chipped in 16 off the Thunder bench. Off-season acquisition Kevin Durant scored 23 points, with nine rebounds and three assists, in his Rockets debut.
Rockets forward Alperin Sengun totaled 39 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. He scored 20 in the fourth quarter and overtime.
The first quarter featured 11 of the game’s 22 lead changes. Holmgren scored 13 over the first 12 minutes. Guard Amen Thompson totaled 10 in the first quarter to help the Rockets carry a 30-27 lead into the second.
Mitchell scored 12 of his 16 points in the second quarter, which featured just two lead changes. The Rockets pushed their advantage to 10 points in the quarter and led 57-51 at the break.
The Thunder defense picked up in the third quarter, holding the Rockets to a 35% shooting clip, while they made 41.4% of their looks. The Thunder outscored the Rockets 24-22 in the frame, but still trailed 79-75 to start the fourth.
Gilgeous-Alexander then helped the Thunder hold a 29-25 scoring edge over the final 12 minutes of regulation to force overtime. He hit a step-back jump shot with 1:34 remaining for a 102-101 Thunder advantage. Sengun answered with a shot with 36 seconds remaining for a 103-102 Rockets edge. Durant made one of two free throw attempts with 10 seconds remaining to add to the lead.
Gilgeous-Alexander then drained a pull-up jumper on the next possession, leading to overtime.
Holmgren and Gilgeous-Alexander each hit 3-pointers for the first points over overtime to give the Thunder a 110-104 lead. The Rockets responded with a 9-3 run over the final 2:30 of the session, forcing a final overtime period. They built a narrow lead and held it until the Thunder put together their final rally with 1:32 remaining.
Thunder guard Cason Wallace made a 3-pointer for a 120-119 lead to start the rally. Durant answered with a layup-free throw conversion to give the lead back to the Rockets. Gilgeous-Alexander hit a jump shot on the next possession. He added a free throw with 33 seconds remaining for a 123-122 lead.
Sengun gave the Rockets their final lead with 11 seconds remaining. Gilgeous-Alexander then put the game away with two free throws with two seconds left of the game clock.
The Thunder (1-0) will battle the Indiana Pacers (0-0) in their second game, a rematch of the NBA Finals, at 7:30 p.m. EDT Thursday in Indianapolis. The Rockets (0-1) will host the Detroit Pistons (0-0) at 8 p.m. Friday in Houston.
