Houston looked a bit rusty on the offensive end, as Fred VanVleet's absence certainly showed. The Rockets would get hounded at half court, and while stars like Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant had big games, they still shot 28.2% from three.

The Thunder outlasted KD on ring night, while Luka and Steph battled in L.A. Here are the biggest takeaways from NBA opening night.

The sound of a single dribble hitting the hardwood echoed throughout Paycom Center. It was from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was about to shoot a go-ahead free throw with 2.3 seconds left in OKC's season-opening home game against Houston on Tuesday.

Reactions to the NBA's opening night. Is Alperen Sengun going to be an MVP candidate? Are the Warriors title contenders? What do the Lakers need to do to fix their defense?

On Tuesday night, the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder faced off, kicking off the NBA’s 2025-26 realgar season. The battle between Western Conference titans more than lived up to the hype, delivering two extra periods of basketball and a down-to-the-wire finish.