All eyes were glued to the TV last night in one of the wildest games of Opening Night, an edge-of-your-seat battle between the Houston Rockets and the reigning champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Rockets ultimately fell in the final two seconds after a dramatic tug-of-war double overtime against the Thunder- and what a matchup it was. This marked only the sixth time in NBA history that an Opening Night game has gone to double overtime. 

Analysts predicted an easy win for the Thunder with the pre-tipoff spread at -7.5, per FanDuel. In reality, calling the Rockets’ performance “hanging in there” is an understatement. The two teams traded leads quarter after quarter until the buzzer rang at the end of regulation- tied 115-115- sending the game into overtime… and then another. 

Coach Ime Udoka’s plan to counter the Thunder’s smaller, faster lineup with one of the league’s tallest fives, anchored by Kevin Durant with team average height of 6’10. 

Height certainly played to the Rocket’s advantage as they outscored the Thunder in the paint 60-54 and grabbed more offensive rebounds that generated second-chance opportunities. The Rockets shot 44.3-percent from the field, trailed only slightly by the Thunder’s 44.2-percent. 

The star of the show was Alperen Şengün- not Durant. The 22-year-old center led all scorers, dropping 39 points with five made threes in a shocking breakout. His performance was not only elite, but remarkable by any standard. 

Şengün also pulled down 11 rebounds (seven defensive) for a season-opener double-double. Şengün added seven assists, five turnovers, and went 10-11 for free throws, displaying improvement in control at the line. 

On the other end of the court, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was virtually unstoppable- as expected. Houston struggled to contain him as he zipped right through the Rockets’ defense, dropping 35 points and nine assists, drawing fouls with ease.

Houston’s heartbreak came when Durant fouled out at 2.3 seconds left in the second OT. SGA sank both free throws, and Durant wasn’t there to support in those final two seconds when Amen Thompson went for a three-pointer at the buzzer and missed.

Overall- and to many critics' surprise- Udoka’s “go big” strategy proved that size still matters in today’s NBA, even up against a quicker championship-caliber squad. Houston’s height kept them alive up until the very end. Udoka knew what he was doing with that call, keeping his starting five deep into both overtimes. 

The Rockets almost pulled off the biggest upset of Opening Night against the defending champions.