NBA fans couldn’t ask for much more than what the 2025-2026 season opener provided.
Behind clutch baskets — and free throws — from MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Oklahoma City Thunder outlasted the Houston Rockets in double overtime… on arena night… against former franchise icon Kevin Durant. KD’s new crew looked strong, however, showing the defending champions that they have another contender in the crowded Western Conference.
Talking about the West, the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers are underway to close out opening night. Luka Doncic will make his debut in his first full season with the Lakers, however, he will be without LeBron James, who is set to miss three or four weeks due to sciatica.
As we gear up for the 80th NBA season, here are the biggest highlights from the opening night games plus post-game takeaways from ESPN insiders.
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Rocket and Thunder Takeaway | Warriors Lakers
Highlights from Warriors at Lakers
The SGA clutch knows no bounds
The scoring title was nice. MVP was a tremendous accomplishment.
But what Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wants most is to be remembered as one of the all-time great NBA winners.
On a night that celebrated the first massive step on that journey – seeing the 2024-25 championship banner raised to the rafters of the Paycom Center – Gilgeous-Alexander showed an impressive combination of determination and skill that gives him a chance to achieve all his lofty goals.
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Thunder and Rockets open the NBA season with 2OT excitement
The Thunder prevailed on the night of the episode with a hard-fought victory over the Rockets in double overtime.
Nothing was easy for Gilgeous-Alexander against a huge Houston team with a ferocious defense that included one of the best goaltenders in the NBA in Amen Thompson. A difficult task was made even more difficult with co-star Jalen Williams (wrist) being relegated to wearing a black leather trench coat while watching from the bench. Double teams came to Gilgeous-Alexander early and often.
Gilgeous-Alexander waited patiently as he held on to five points in the first half, fewer than his total in the first half of last season. He had just 11 at the end of the third quarter.
Gilgeous-Alexander then took over to put the Thunder in position to win. He had dozens of points in the fourth quarter, including a couple of tough clutch pull-ups, the last one over Thompson to tie the score with seconds remaining.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points, plus five rebounds, five assists, two steals, two blocks and several key plays that didn’t appear in the box score. He hit the game-winning free throws after catching Kevin Durant, the former Thunder star who has angered OKC fans since leaving, on a foul call.
Gilgeous-Alexander once again emerged victorious.
— Tim McMahon
Led by Singgun, Houston’s massive lineup shows promise
Alperen Sengun is thriving in his expanded role as the Rockets’ offensive engine, hitting a career-high five 3-pointers while becoming just the second player in franchise history to open a season on multiple occasions with at least 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. The fourth-year veteran started most of Houston’s offense in the loss to OKC, scoring a game-high 39 points with 11 rebounds and a career-best seven assists in leading a starting unit that averages 82.2 inches in height — the tallest starting group in an opener since starters were first tracked in 1970-71, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Expect the Rockets to continue experimenting with this lineup, which includes Thompson and Kevin Durant at guard, Jabari Smith Jr. and Singun on the wings and Steven Adams at center. The offense is still a work in progress, but Houston limited OKC’s start to 2-of-22 from deep in regulation.
–Michael C. Wright
Amen Thompson is a problem, but that 3-point jumper…
Thompson’s development has been one of the highlights of the NBA season, and the opener showed the highs and lows of the young guard, before he left the game in overtime with an apparent injury.
On the plus side, Thompson was the primary defender who dominated Shai Gilgeous-Alexander most of the night — Gilgeous-Alexander was noticeably more comfortable attacking every Rockets defender other than Thompson — and he hit 8-for-10 on two shots. Thompson is so quick on his drives and fights so hard through contact that he looks almost unstoppable at the rim.
But on the negative side, the most important number for Houston on Tuesday was zero. That meant Zero made 3-pointers from Thompson, who shot 0-for-7 from long range, with several ugly fouls. Opposing defenses will gladly give Thompson all the open 3s he wants, as he made just 14% as a rookie and 27% as a sophomore.
Thompson is a valuable player regardless of his three-point percentage, but if he can’t improve meaningfully from distance, Houston’s offense could remain tight all season. These stats could set the Rockets’ ceiling high as potential championship contenders.
–Zach Cram