Kevin Durant’s highly anticipated debut with the Houston Rockets took an arduous turn in a double-overtime thriller against his former team, the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The game, which saw the Thunder celebrate their NBA title with a ring ceremony and banner raising, concluded with a 125–124 victory for Oklahoma City, a loss that Durant squarely placed on his own shoulders. “I missed the free throws, and I fouled somebody at the end,” Durant stated, adding, “I think those two plays are the reason we lost.”

Durant’s self-assessment pointed to two pivotal moments that proved costly for the Rockets. With 9.5 seconds left in regulation and Houston leading 103–102, Durant missed the first of two crucial free throws. Although he connected on the second to extend the lead to two, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander responded with a 16-footer with 2.6 seconds remaining, forcing the game into overtime. The second critical error occurred in the dying seconds of the second overtime. With the Rockets holding a slim 124–123 lead and 11 seconds on the clock, Durant fell for a pump fake from Gilgeous-Alexander, committing his sixth foul. This sent the reigning MVP to the free-throw line, where he sealed the Thunder’s victory. Durant lamented, “Fouled Shai, put them up one. I’ve got to stay down, be more disciplined [with] those opportunities to get a stop to seal the game.”

Further compounding the Rockets’ troubles and Durant’s personal frustrations was a controversial moment in the first overtime. With 2.2 seconds left, Durant grabbed a rebound and inadvertently signaled for a timeout, which Houston did not possess. This gaffe, which teammate Alperen Şengün attempted to prevent, elicited a cascade of boos from the 18,203-strong crowd. A postgame pool report clarified that no technical foul was assessed because none of the game officials witnessed Durant’s timeout signal, as explained by crew chief Zach Zarba. However, Gilgeous-Alexander confirmed, “I think definitely he called timeout about three times, verbally and physically with his hands. I think the refs just missed it, but that’s life.”

Despite the challenging outcome and his personal struggles, Durant offered glimpses of the potential within Houston’s new offensive scheme. He shot an efficient 5-of-6 on two-point jumpers, a rare feat for the Rockets last season and notably, all his made two-point field goals came within the final eight seconds of the shot clock, tying a personal best since player tracking began in 2013–14. This indicated a clear strategy to leverage Durant in clutch situations. Teammate Şengün underscored Durant’s impact, stating, “He’s making our jobs easy. With [more] time, we’re going to get better and better together.”

The game also highlighted a breakout performance from Alperen Şengün, who facilitated much of the Rockets’ offense. Şengün recorded a career-high five three-pointers en route to a game-high 39 points, complemented by 11 rebounds and a team-high seven assists. Durant lauded Şengün’s play, emphasizing, “It’s incredible. We’re gonna need that from him as much as we can, getting downhill, making plays.” He also noted the increased space Şengün had to operate, a benefit of Durant’s presence, and praised his confidence in shooting from deep.

The Rockets fielded a notably tall starting unit against the Thunder, averaging 82.2 inches in height—the tallest opening-game lineup since starters were first tracked in the 1970–71 season. This lineup included Durant, who started at guard for the first time since 2009, alongside Amen Thompson (who battled calf cramps), Jabari Smith Jr., Şengün at forward, and Steven Adams at center. Durant expressed a collective approach to clutch moments, asserting, “We make plays as a team. I’m not expected to make every big shot in every close game. I just feel like my presence out there can ease the tension for everybody and we can make plays. Some nights, it’s going to be my night in the fourth. Some nights, it’s going to be Alpi’s.”

While the debut ended in a tough loss, it laid bare both the immediate challenges and the promising potential for the reconfigured Houston Rockets.