Sports

The Rockets Aren't the Same Team the Thunder Met on Opening Night

January 15, 2026

Story by (© Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images)Laci WatsonThu, January 15, 2026 at 2:19 AM UTC·3 min readOpening 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. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThat 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.

The Rockets Aren't the Same Team the Thunder Met on Opening Night

Credit: (© Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images)

Key Highlights

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. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFast 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.

Sources

The Rockets Aren't the Same Team the Thunder Met on Opening Night

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