OKLAHOMA CITY — Kevin Durant blamed himself for a Houston Rockets debut gone awry Tuesday, as the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder bested his new club 125-124 in double overtime at Paycom Center.
“I missed the free throws, and I fouled somebody at the end,” Durant said. “I think those two plays are the reason we lost.”
On the night Oklahoma City celebrated its NBA title with a ring ceremony and raised a championship banner to the rafters, Durant scored 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting and committed two crucial mistakes that he believes cost Houston the game before fouling out with 2.3 seconds remaining. The Rockets led 124-123 with 11 seconds left in the second overtime period when a pump fake by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lured Durant into his sixth foul, which sent the reigning MVP to the line to hit the winning free throws.
“Fouled Shai, put them up one,” Durant said. “I’ve got to stay down, be more disciplined [with] those opportunities to get a stop to seal the game.”
The play marked what Durant might consider the second squandered opportunity to walk out of a sold-out arena victorious. With 9.5 seconds left in regulation, Durant missed the first of two free throws with the Rockets leading 103-102. Durant connected on the second free throw to put Houston ahead by two points, but Gilgeous-Alexander hit a 16-footer with 2.6 ticks left to send the game into overtime.
Catastrophe for Durant and the Rockets nearly unfolded in the first overtime period, too. The 37-year-old snatched a rebound with 2.2 seconds remaining and signaled for a timeout that Houston didn’t possess as teammate Alperen Sengun ran over to stop him. The play resulted in a cascade of boos from a crowd of 18,203. A postgame pool report revealed that referees didn’t whistle Durant for a technical foul on the play because none of the game officials saw the guard signal for the timeout, according to crew chief Zach Zarba.
“I think definitely he called timeout about three times — verbally and physically with his hands,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I think the refs just missed it, but that’s life. You make mistakes in life, and you move on. Nothing too crazy. They didn’t do it on purpose or anything. It’s just life. You miss things. You make mistakes. You move on.”
Despite a rough debut, Durant flashed a glimpse of what Houston’s offense could be once the Rockets iron out some of the wrinkles. Durant shot 5 of 6 on 2-point jumpers on Tuesday for a team that experienced only one instance last season of a player hitting 5 or more of his 2-point jump shots in a game. All of Durant’s made 2-point field goals came within the final 8 seconds, according to GeniusIQ, tying for his most such makes in a game since 2013-14, when player tracking began.
When Houston needed to generate a solid look with the shot clock winding down, it made sure to find Durant.
“He’s making our jobs easy,” Sengun said. “With [more] time we’re going to get better and better together.”
Durant managed to inflict his damage in an offense that was mostly facilitated by Sengun, who made a career-high five 3-pointers, scoring a game-high 39 points with 11 rebounds and a team-high 7 assists.
“It’s incredible,” Durant said of Sengun’s performance. “We’re gonna need that from him as much as we can. Getting downhill, making plays. There was a lot of space for him out there, too, at the top of the key where he likes to work. So, [it’s] something that he’s got to get used to with just having so much room to operate now. So, he knocked down the 3 well, shot it with confidence. We’re gonna need that going forward.”
Houston trotted out a starting unit against the Thunder that stood an average height of 82.2 inches, registering as the tallest group of starters in an opener since 1970-71, when starters were first tracked, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
Durant started at guard for the first time since 2009 alongside Amen Thompson, who was hobbled late against OKC by cramps in his calf, according to Rockets coach Ime Udoka. The lineup also featured Jabari Smith Jr. and Sengun at forward with Steven Adams playing center.
“We make plays as a team,” Durant said. “I’m not expected to make every big shot in every close game. I just feel like my presence out there can ease the tension for everybody and we can make plays. Some nights, it’s going to be my night in the fourth. Some nights, it’s going to be Alpi’s. So, we all just have to prepare for it.”
