SPORTS ILLUSTRATED - The Oklahoma City Thunder held practice on Sunday. Only a couple of days remain until they host the 202526 Opening Night on Tuesday, Oct. 21. They will welcome the Houston Rockets as they drop their championship banner and hand out rings.

It’s certainly an exciting time for the Thunder, and it all starts on Tuesday night — an opening night for the ages in Oklahoma City. The Thunder gets to share a ring ceremony with its adoring fanbase, and Loud City gets to welcome their team home for another season of basketball. If that wasn’t enough to make this bigger than an ordinary regular season game, and an ordinary season opener, Oklahoma City’s opponent is one expected to contend for the conference title and now has Kevin Durant on its roster.

Opening night, on the first NBC broadcast, against a conference rival who will be coming for the crown is the perfect opportunity for the Thunder to prove they’re still the NBA’s top dog.

And of course, Durant’s addition to the Houston roster adds another storyline that could stand on its own, too. Durant went on the Kay Adams show just a few weeks ago and preached the message that he hoped ring night was about the Thunder, and not himself. But on Saturday, when he was asked if he was excited to see any arena employees, staff members or anyone in the stadium, he answered quickly: “No.”

Another interesting aspect to Oklahoma City’s opening night operation is how many rotational players they could be without. Jalen Williams and Nikola Topic are expected to miss action, as is Kenrich Williams. Ajay Mitchell, Isaiah Joe, and Alex Caruso — who exited the Thunder’s preseason game a bit early — could also remain out.

If Oklahoma City is able to go out shorthanded and beat a Rockets team that’s expected to contend, it would be an assertion of dominance. On ring night, too, it would be a foreshadowing to the rest of the NBA of what this season could entail.

It’s not the end of the world if Oklahoma City loses, of course. But this is absolutely bigger than your normal opening night, regular season game. Tuesday night could set the tone for the Thunder’s entire season with a win. All things considered, it’s the most important season opener in franchise history.

The game is set to tip off at 6:30 p.m. The game will be televised on NBC, Peacock and Sling.