The NBA has officially returned. Basketball tipped off with an opening night doubleheader on Tuesday, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. First, the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder picked up an exhilarating 125-124 double-overtime victory. In the second game, the Golden State Warriors went on the road and took down the Los Angeles Lakers, 119-109, despite a 43-point effort from Luka Dončić with LeBron James sidelined.
The Rockets and Thunder may have just given us the best season opener in NBA history. Houston controlled most of regulation, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got hot in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime. Oklahoma City controlled most of the extra period, before a Rockets rally tied things up at 115 apiece. However, upon rebounding a potential game-winning shot by Gilgeous-Alexander, Kevin Durant seemingly called a timeout that the Rockets didn’t have.
That should have resulted in a technical foul, which would have given the Thunder a chance to win the game at the foul line. Instead, we went to a second overtime, which was, you guessed it, yet another back-and-forth affair. Alperen Sengun gave the Rockets a one-point lead with 11 seconds remaining, but two free-throws from Gilgeous-Alexander took it back with 2.3 left on the clock. That was enough to clinch it for Oklahoma City as a Jabari Smith turnaround jumper was off the mark as time expired.
In the nightcap, the Warriors kept the momentum that began after the Jimmy Butler trade last season as they looked crisp on both ends of the floor, receiving contributions up and down the roster. Butler led the team with 31 points, while Stephen Curry added 23 on 3-for-9 3-point shooting, and the two stars combined to go 24 for 24 from the free throw line.
CBS Sports will have more on Tuesday night’s action shortly.