SGA baits Kevin Durant into a clutch MVP move for the win
In a poetic combination of past and present Oklahoma City Thunder in the resumption of Tuesday night’s game against visits Houston Rocketsthe reigning NBA Most Valuable Player was on top.
With the Thunder trailing the Rockets by a point with less than 10 seconds left in the second overtime, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got the ball with a chance to win the game for OKC. It is kept much taller and longer Kevin DurantGilgeous-Alexander managed to draw a foul on Durant’s shot, which was also his sixth of the fight.
Gilgeous-Alexander made Durant pay for that foul, as he had countless times before on opposing defenders, as he knocked down both shots from the foul line to put Oklahoma City ahead by a point.
The Rockets called timeout after Gilgeous-Alexander made free throws, but with Durant disqualified after committing the maximum fouls, Houston didn’t have one of the most dangerous scorers in history to make the final shot. Instead, the Rockets’ fate came down to a tough 19-foot jumper from Jabari Smith Jr. — that didn’t find its mark.
With that, the Thunder escaped 125-124 in the first game of the 2025-26 NBA season. It was a truly wild night on Day 1 of the league’s new campaign.
Gilgeous-Alexander paced all Thunder scorers with 35 points on 12-for-26 shooting from the floor and 10-for-14 from the charity stripe. Chet Holmgren added 28 points, while Usman Dieng came off the bench to add 16 points.
As far as Rockets, they got 39 points from the game from star big man Alperen Sengunwho also had 11 rebounds and seven assists. Durant, meanwhile, finished with 23 points, nine rebounds and three assists in 47 minutes of action in his first game in Houston.
The Rockets will look to bounce back from the loss next Friday when they play their home opener against the Detroit Pistons. Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder, on the other hand, will play for a 2-0 start in the rematch of the 2025 NBA Finals this Thursday against the Indiana Pacers without Tyrese Haliburton on the road.
2025-10-22 03:27:00
