OKLAHOMA CITY — Dancing with Kevin Durant, of course it came down to this. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had everybody’s stress levels in his hands. It couldn’t get any more Disney movie ending than what happened. The reigning MVP shifted and moved around. A pump-fake bought him gold. He ended the marathon at the free-throw line.

What a finish. Heart rates were at all-time highs. People lost a few strands of hair. The Oklahoma City Thunder survived with a 125124 double overtime win over the Houston Rockets. NBC couldn’t have asked for a more exciting outcome for its 2025-26 Opening Night.

“It was a great starting point for us. A lot of different things. I thought they dictated the tempo early. I thought we were able to get some of our pressure into the game in the second half. We had to weather the storm. The Sengun shots were really tough shots. Tip your hat to him. We just kinda hung with the game and worked the game,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “A lot of situations down the stretch. Situations you gotta handle the right way. I thought we did a pretty good job of this early in the season.”

This one will take a while to comprehend fully. Of course, it’s just the first of 82 games. They all equally mean the same. But sentimentally speaking, this one had a few extra kicks to it that made it closer resemble a playoff atmosphere.

Per NBA tradition, the Thunder held a pregame ceremony. The NBA champion had the chance to see their roster go one by one to greet Adam Silver, Clay Bennett and Sam Presti. After a fourmonth wait, they finally received the jewelry they earned.

The Thunder also unveiled their 2025 NBA championship banner. That slowly rose to the top of Paycom Center. Before it went up in the air, everybody caressed the fabric. And it showed on the court.

Already without Jalen Williams, the Thunder’s defense wasn’t as crisp as it was last season. While Chet Holmgren was aggressive from the start, the Rockets had no problem producing their own buckets. The Thunder faced a 30-27 deficit after the first quarter.

Gilgeous-Alexander was oddly quiet. Meanwhile, Durant and Alperen Sengun were a onetwo punch. The Thunder only scored 24 points in the second frame. They entered halftime in a 57-51 deficit.

It didn’t take long for the Thunder to call a timeout after the break. Amen Thompson’s finish through contact put the Rockets up 63-51. Less than two minutes into the second half, OKC was forced to regroup. The crowd was silent and concerned.

Afterward, Gilgeous-Alexander put on his Superman cape. He finally hit a couple of jumpers. That was enough to get going. The Rockets’ lead was cut to 79-75 after the third quarter. We now had a ball game. Little did the people in the building know, there was still plenty more basketball left.

As Sengun turned in a career night from the outside, the Thunder slowly chipped away. It turned into a back-and-forth affair. Gilgeous-Alexander’s step back jumper rattled in. They finally had a 102-101 lead with 1:34 left. Alas, Houston quickly retook the lead.

With a chance to put all the pressure on the Thunder, Durant went to the free-throw line. Much to the crowd’s amusement, a split trip cracked open the door. The NBA champions still had life. Down by two points with nine seconds left, Gilgeous-Alexander walked the ball to one of his spots and scored on a pull-up midrange jumper.

Tied at 104 points, Opening Night extended to overtime. While the Thunder created a sixpoint cushion, that slowly disappeared. After Holmgren fouled out, Sengun’s loud jam tied it up again at 115 points apiece with eight seconds left.

Gilgeous-Alexander had his pull-up jumper blocked. The Rockets collected the miss. Unaware of their timeout situation, Durant got away with one. He called a timeout when Houston didn’t possess any. What should’ve been a textbook technical foul that likely gives OKC the win turned into the biggest gift ever for the road team.

The Thunder stormed at the referees. They begged them to review the mishap. But much to their frustrations, all they could do was move on and prepare for a second overtime. Just some grueling bad luck that had the entire OKC crowd rain down boos.

“I saw what I saw. I said what I said. I said my peace on the court. I’m not going to do it here. Zach Zarba is a Finals official that we have a lot of trust in. Jason Goldenberg, I’ve known for a decade. He’s been in the G League,” Daigneault said. “I trust those games in the game. I said what I said. I’m over it now.” Good thing Gilgeous-Alexander was a little more honest. He was puzzled by what happened. Such a simple mistake shouldn’t happen in high school. Much less at the NBA. Alas, he was a lot more forgiving than a lot of OKC fans who watched it happen.

“Kevin definitely called timeout about three times verbally and physically with his hands. I think the refs just missed it,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “That’s life. You make mistakes in life. Move on. Nothing too crazy. I turned the ball over a bunch tonight. Next possession. Same mentality for them. They didn’t do it on purpose or anything. It’s life. You miss things. You make mistakes. You move on.”

You have to move on. Fans can complain. The team can’t. They don’t have that luxury. By the second overtime, both teams carried dead legs. Nobody could buy a jumper. After Isaiah Hartenstein fouled out on a circus and-one layup by Durant, the Thunder had to rely on Jaylin Williams.

Driving through an open lane, Sengun’s feathery layup looked like the last straw. The Rockets had a 124123 lead with 11 seconds left. Considering how poorly the offense looked, Gilgeous-Alexander needed to have a signature moment to carry a short-handed OKC squad to the finish line.

Well, that’s what he did. Gilgeous-Alexander managed to get Durant to bite on a pump-fake. The latter fouled out. The former knocked down both attempts with ease. Jabari Smith Jr. badly missed a turnaround jumper on the other end. That was that. An entertaining way to start the new season 1-0.

The Thunder shot 44% from the field and went 13-of-52 (25%) from 3. They shot 20-of-25 on free throws. They had 29 assists on 46 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Amazingly enough, Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 35 points. Holmgren stepped up with 28 points. Cason Wallace had 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Ajay Mitchell scored 16 points off the bench. Aaron Wiggins also had 10 points.

Meanwhile, the Rockets shot 44% from the field and went 11-of-39 (28.2%) from 3. They shot 27-of-31 on free throws. They had 23 assists on 43 baskets. Four Rockets players scored double-digit points. Sengun was the best player on the floor. He had a monster 39 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Durant’s debut finished with 23 points and nine rebounds. Thompson had 18 points before a cramp sidelined him in the second overtime. Smith Jr. had 16 points.

The Thunder will be on the road to take on the Indiana Pacers tonight. The Thunder will be on the road for the next two games then will return home on the 28th to face the Sacramento Kings.

The Pacers game has a tipoff time of 6:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN, Fubo, Sling and YouTube TV.