SGA s free throws were a sure winner! The Rockets narrowly lost to the Thunder by 1 point in double overtime. I completely saw the five stars in this battle.

The NBA regular season has officially started, and the Houston Rockets are going to challenge the Oklahoma City Thunder away from home. The defending champion held an award ceremony before the game. The Thunder raised the championship flag at home, and the Thunder general received the championship ring. The Thunder's second leader, Jaylen Way, was unable to play in the opening game due to injury. The Thunder sent out a starting lineup of Alexander + Dort + Wallace + Holmgren + Hatten. The Rockets fielded an epic starting lineup: Amen + Durant + Smith + Shen Jing + Adams, with an average height of 82 inches. This is the team with the highest average height for the NBA's season opener starters since the 1970-71 season. Interestingly, the Rockets returned to the locker room under Udoka's instruction when the Thunder held the championship ceremony. Uduka made it clear: We will do our best to ruin this championship night.

When the game came on, the two teams fell into a tug-of-war early on, with the scores taking the lead alternately. Holmgren scored 13 points in a single quarter, while the Thunder fell behind by 3 points in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Rockets once widened the point difference to 10 points. Mitchell hit 3+1 at the buzzer, and the Thunder fell behind by 6 points at halftime. After changing sides and fighting again, the Rockets once again widened the point difference to double digits, but the Thunder used a wave of three-pointers to smooth out the point difference. Subsequently, the two teams once again fell into a tug-of-war, and the suspense of the game dragged on until the end. Alexander dragged the game into overtime with his iconic mid-range shot. In overtime, the Thunder scored 2 consecutive three-pointers to seize the opportunity. The Rockets counterattacked strongly and once again evened the score difference, and the game entered the second overtime. In the second overtime, the two sides once again fell into a tug-of-war. Holmgren, Harten, and Durant left the game with six fouls. Alexander killed the game with a free throw. In the end, the Rockets lost to the Thunder 124-125.

From leading by 12 points to losing by 1 point in double overtime, the Rockets made unexpected moves to challenge the defending champion, which had both bright spots and flaws. On the bright side, the Rockets played high and firmly occupied the penalty area. They outrebounded the Thunder 51-39 and suppressed the Thunder 16-12 in offensive rebounds. On the bad side, the Rockets' offensive development still lacks integrity. The team had 23 assists but made 21 turnovers. In comparison, the Thunder team had 29 assists but only 11 turnovers. The Thunder took advantage of mistakes and counterattacked, and it worked every time. At the end of the game, the Thunder outscored the Rockets 16-2 on fast break and used turnovers to outscore the Rockets 26-12. The Rockets lost a good game and missed a good start. I completely saw the five stars in this game.

The first one is Durant. He returned to his old place, but he was determined to kill the enemy but was unable to recover! Durant returned to Oklahoma City, and he was still greeted with boos. Durant attacked decisively and efficiently in the first half, scoring 14 points in the half and carrying the offensive banner. But in the second half, Durant seemed to be undercover, missing the game-killing free throw, and committing six fouls in the second overtime, sending SGA to the free throw line to kill the game. After the game, Durant played 47 minutes, making 9 of 16 shots (0 of 4 three-pointers), 5 of 6 free throws, 23 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 turnovers. Only the new people laugh, how can you hear the old people cry? In front of Alexander, Durant may have to sigh: Time is not forgiving, but life is terrible!

The second place is Shen Jing, a perfect upgrade, breaking the NBA record! In this campaign, Shen Jing fought hard for 48 minutes, making 12 of 24 shots (5 of 8 three-pointers), 10 of 11 free throws, scoring 39 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. The plus-minus on the field was +9. If you just look at the data, is he becoming more and more like Jokic? Yes, Shen Jing has evolved again. His low-post kills and organizational support are still excellent. He also hit a team-high five three-pointers. According to statistics, 5 three-pointers are a new high in Shen Jing's career in a single game. At the same time, Shen Jing is the third player in history to score at least 35+5+5+2+5 three-pointers in the opening game, comparable to Curry and Jaylen Brown. In addition, Shen Jing is the first center in NBA history to score at least 25 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 three-pointers in the opening game. Even Jokic has not been able to do it.

The third one is Amen, burn yourself out, your shortcomings are obvious! In this campaign, Amen played 38 minutes, making 8 of 17 shots (0 of 7 three-pointers), 2 of 2 free throws, contributing 18 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, and 4 turnovers. Amen serves as the starting point guard and is personally involved in both offense and defense. He is not Van Jordan but is better than Van Jordan. Amen started aggressively and scored 10 points in a single quarter. But it is undeniable that Amen's shooting shortcomings are too obvious. If he cannot hit three-pointers like Van Jordan from outside the three-point line, he will not be a triple threat. At the end of the game, Amen suffered leg cramps, which was so heartbreaking.

The fourth place is Shepard, who is embarrassed and becomes a cash machine! Sheppard came on as a backup point guard and played 27 minutes. He made 3 of 11 shots (2 of 7 three-pointers), 1 of 2 free throws, 9 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, and 2 turnovers. Shepard scored two three-pointers in the first half, including a three-pointer off the board. His hot touch was also somewhat misleading. In addition, Sheppard's performance was a disaster. He was hesitant after getting the ball and often made low-level mistakes. On the defensive end, he was used as a cash machine by Wallace, Wiggins, Alexander and others. In the words of fans, this was another night when the Rockets missed Van Jordan.

The fifth place is Ethan, who sleepwalked throughout the game and is not worthy of a Canadian contract. Before the start of the regular season, Ethan's contract extension negotiations with the Rockets ended in failure. In this campaign, Ethan played 21 minutes as a substitute, made 1 of 6 shots (1 of 4 three-pointers), scored 3 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, and made 3 turnovers. Ethan was absent-minded after coming on the court. He committed an offensive foul, a 24-second violation, and was blocked by his opponent. It was like sleepwalking. Obviously, this is not the Ethan we are familiar with, nor is it the Ethan the Rockets need. If Ethan can't adjust his mentality and find himself, his big contract may be ruined. Fans and friends, what do you think of this? Come and leave me a comment to discuss.