On Tuesday evening, the Houston Rockets dropped to 0-1 on the young 2025-26 NBA season with a heartbreaking 125-124 double overtime loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in what was a thrilling game. The contest marked the first regular season game for Kevin Durant in a Rockets uniform, and he played relatively well, although he did miss a crucial free throw late in regulation and also narrowly avoided a Chris Webber-esque timeout disaster.
In crunch time, the offense for Houston seemed to run primarily through Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson. Although both players, particularly Sengun, had big nights, some were wondering why Durant was not initiating things more down the stretch for the Rockets.
“KD did what he does best, he was efficient right? I want him to take over more late,” said ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike on NBA Today, per NBA on ESPN on X, formerly Twitter.
Indeed, Durant seemed to defer at times late to his teammates, with mixed results. In fairness, Sengun was mostly unstoppable on Tuesday, eviscerating the best defense in the NBA a year ago for 39 points on elite efficiency.
Still, after everything they gave up to bring in Durant, Rockets fans were likely hoping for a little bit more in crunch time from one of the greatest pure scorers the game has ever seen.
A tough loss for the Rockets
The Houston Rockets enter this season with legitimate championship expectations after earning the number two seed a year ago and adding a future Hall of Famer in Durant, who is still producing at an elite level at age 37.
Of course, there's nothing shameful about losing in double overtime to the reigning champs on the road (albeit with Jalen Williams), but for the Rockets to come so close to an early season signature victory, only to have it slip through their fingers, has to hurt.
Still, there was a lot to be encouraged about in this game, and Durant will only grow more comfortable with his role on the team as the season goes on.
The Rockets will next take the floor on Friday evening for their home opener against the Detroit Pistons.
