Tim MacMahonOct 22, 2025, 01:24 AM ET
- Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009
- Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks
- Appears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM
OKLAHOMA CITY — The symbolism didn’t strike Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the moment as the clock ticked down in the second overtime of Tuesday night’s season opener against the Rockets.
His sole focus was on trying to figure out a way to score the winning points, not on the fact Kevin Durant was defending him. The superstar matchup in the deciding moments of a thrilling season opener probably wasn’t lost on the Paycom Center sellout crowd, which spent the night booing Durant and celebrating Gilgeous-Alexander and his Thunder teammates after finally watching a championship banner raised to the rafters.
“Just trying to get to a shot I’m comfortable shooting in those moments,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “My brain is so in the moment that all those things I don’t even realize.”
Instead of creating a clean look, Gilgeous-Alexander got Durant to bite on a pump fake and foul him. The reigning MVP sank both free throws with 2.3 seconds left, capping a 35-point performance to lift the defending champions to a 125-124 win. Gilgeous-Alexander spoiled Durant’s debut with the Rockets, his fourth team since his free agency departure from the Thunder that is still a sore subject in Oklahoma City more than nine years later.
Editor’s Picks
2 Related
Gilgeous-Alexander described the pregame ceremony to celebrate last season’s championship as “surreal.” Durant and the Rockets retreated to the visitors locker room as the Thunder received their championship rings — featuring more than 800 custom-cut, hand-set diamonds and gemstones — before raising the championship banner alongside the center scoreboard.
“It felt like it was going up for 10 minutes,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It was an amazing moment. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.”
It took Gilgeous-Alexander most of the game to find a rhythm against the supersized Rockets’ swarming, physical defense, which prioritized forcing the ball out of his hands as much as possible while his All-NBA co-star, Jalen Williams, watched from the bench as he recovers from offseason wrist surgery.
Houston held Gilgeous-Alexander to five points in the first half, fewer than any of his halftime totals from last season, when he led the league with 32.7 points per game. Power forward/center Chet Holmgren scored 18 of his 28 points in the first half to keep the Thunder within striking distance despite Gilgeous-Alexander’s uncharacteristically quiet start.
Gilgeous-Alexander managed only five shots from the field in the first two quarters, committing three turnovers and dishing out only one assist despite repeatedly passing out of double-teams.
“He just stays in the game,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “It wasn’t a perfect night for him, but he just stays in it. He understands the 48-minute nature. He understands the 82-game nature. It’s not always going to be perfect. And tonight wasn’t perfect for us collectively. And the guys just kind of played the next play, never lost our focus or resolve.”
It wasn’t until the fourth quarter — after Oklahoma City trailed by as many as 12 points — that Gilgeous-Alexander found any sort of groove. He had 12 points in that quarter, one more than he had in the first three quarters combined, highlighted by a tough midrange pull-up jumper over a tight contest by All-Defensive stopper Amen Thompson to tie the score with three seconds remaining.
“As the game went on, naturally the coverages got looser,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who was 12-of-26 from the field but only 1-of-9 from 3-point range. “I was able to get downhill and to my spots a little bit.”
Gilgeous-Alexander added 12 points in the two overtime periods. He had a chance to win it on the final possession of the first overtime, but Houston’s Tari Eason got a piece of the ball on his baseline jumper. Gilgeous-Alexander scored five points in the final minute as Oklahoma City came back and closed the door.
“You can’t hold down great players all game,” Oklahoma City forward Alex Caruso said. “You can do a job for a while. I think he still ended up with 35, and he had a slow night. That’s just him.”
According to ESPN Research, Gilgeous-Alexander became only the third reigning MVP to record at least 35 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a season opener, joining Stephen Curry in 2015 and Shaquille O’Neal in 2000. Gilgeous-Alexander also had two blocks and two steals, making multiple clutch defensive plays.
“I need to be better,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We need to be better than what we just did. We’re going to be a better team in a few months, but I fully believe this team will use tonight as a learning experience. … It was ugly tonight, but I’d rather it be ugly in a win than a loss for sure.”
Discover more from 6up.net
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.