Houston’s opening night duel with OKC revealed potential. Now, a disciplined, evolved Rockets squad dictates tempo, ready to test the Thunder's mettle.
Opening Night showed that the Houston Rockets belonged. Thursday night will show how much they’ve grown.
When Houston opened the season against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the message was loud even in a loss. The Rockets took the defending champions to double overtime in one of the wildest games of Opening Night, pushing a championship-caliber team to the edge behind size, rebounding, and a breakout performance from Alperen Şengün.
That game marked just the sixth double-overtime opener in NBA history, and for a team most people expected to be outmatched, Houston never blinked.
That night, the Rockets leaned into Ime Udoka’s “go big” approach, rolling out one of the tallest starting lineups in the league with an average height near 6’10. It worked. Houston outscored Oklahoma City 50-44 in the paint, generated extra possessions through offensive rebounds, and shot essentially even with the Thunder from the field.
Şengün stole the show with 39 points, five threes, 11 rebounds, and seven assists, while Kevin Durant anchored the lineup deep into both overtimes.
The loss came down to thin margins- Durant fouling out with seconds left, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander converting at the line, and a final look that didn’t fall. Painful, but instructive.
Fast forward to now, and Houston looks like a team that learned exactly what that night asked of them.
This isn’t the same Rockets group that walked into Opening Night swinging on adrenaline and talent alone. Since then, Houston has settled into an identity built on discipline, patience, and pace control- especially at Toyota Center.
They’re no longer chasing games or relying on extended runs to survive. The Rockets are comfortable grinding possessions, defending through mistakes, and winning without needing everything to click offensively.
That evolution matters against Oklahoma City.
The Thunder remain elite. Shai still collapses defenses. Their pace still punishes sloppy possessions. But Houston now plays with far more structure than it did back in October. The Rockets turn the ball over less, rebound with purpose, and dictate tempo far more consistently- particularly at home, where they’ve been difficult to rattle.
Opening Night was frantic. Thursday night figures to be deliberate.
Şengün remains the engine, but he’s operating within a calmer system. Durant still closes games, but he’s no longer carrying chaos possession after possession. Houston’s size still matters, but now it’s paired with spacing, timing, and patience instead of raw force.
The Thunder may still be the best team in the West. That hasn’t changed.
What has changed is the environment. Toyota Center has become a place where Houston controls rhythm, shrinks margins, and forces opponents to execute late. Oklahoma City hasn’t seen that version of the Rockets yet.
Opening Night proved Houston could hang. This rematch will test whether they can dictate.
And if the Rockets play the way they’ve learned to play since October, this one should look very different- even against the Thunder.