Opening Night was an emotional one for both the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder had their ring ceremony just a few hours before tipoff, recognizing the contributors to the first Oklahoma City championship ever.  The postgame interview tones seemed to be mismatched with the hype of the double-overtime matchup.

While the defending champions ultimately took the victory after a dramatic neck-and-neck face-off with the Rockets in Oklahoma, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looked tired and disappointed in both his own and the Thunder’s performances. It wasn’t supposed to be that close- analysts predicted an easy win for OKC, but that’s not what happened. In his postgame interview Gilgeous-Alexander said, “It was ugly tonight, but I’d rather be ugly in a win than a loss. That’s for sure.” 

The same goes for coach Ime Udoka’s postgame conference.  He reflected on the game saying, “We had plenty of opportunity to win it and we made enough mistakes to lose it.” He talked about how the defense loosened as the game progressed. In the first half, Houston did a fine job of containing Gilgeous-Alexander, but slipped toward the end allowing him to score 24 points within the fourth quarter and overtime, compared to the five he put up in the first half. 

Udoka talked about his approach for handling the top of the court, saying he’ll be working on fine-tuning his “point guard by committee” setup that we saw on Opening Night, instead of relying on one man to cover the position. This strategy allows for three or so guards to pass off the ball as necessary and keeps the offense quick and unpredictable.  

Not all is lost over one game. Houston hung in there exceptionally well for a team who’s been ranked several rungs below the reigning champions, so it could be viewed more as an opportunity for improvement than a failure. Udoka saw the holes in the defense, and can adjust accordingly so that next time the Rockets don’t slip after the half. 

Overall, Houston exhibited improved chemistry and confidence. The young guys seemed to be meshing well with Kevin Durant, allowing him to anchor, and Alperen Sengun showed us what he can do offensively when given the right support. A little tightening on the defense, and Houston’s got the recipe for being a playoff contender this year down. 

Though both sides expressed dismay, the game was anything but anti-climactic. The Rockets looked like a young team successfully refining their rhythm, and OKC looked like reigning champions out there. If the season-opener is any indication of how the regular season is going to go, 2025-2026 will be absolutely electric. If the Rockets can keep this momentum, they may just give the West a run for their money.