Opening night of the 2025-26 NBA season features a massive doubleheader, starting in Oklahoma City, where the reigning NBA champion Thunder host Kevin Durant and the new-look Houston Rockets.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company took the league by storm last season, winning 68 games en route to OKC’s first world championship.
They face an early challenge opposite the Rockets’ young core that added Durant, a two-time NBA Finals MVP, to its roster in the off-season.
OKC opens as 7.5-point favorites in their home opener, with the Over/Under sitting at 226.5 total points per oddsmakers.
Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
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What our Post expert thinks about Rockets vs. Thunder
Both teams have notable names on their respective injury reports, as key Thunder starter Jalen Williams (wrist) remains without a timetable for his return. The Rockets lost lead point guard Fred VanVleet (knee) for the season after he suffered a torn ACL last month.
Rockets head coach Ime Udoka confirmed a starting lineup of Amen Thompson, Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun, and Steven Adams for opening night. This will be interesting, considering the Thunder also play two bigs in Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.
Players normally come out the gate a bit rusty; however, these two teams have combined for 236 and 265 total points, respectively, in their last two matchups.
Granted, both rosters encountered some changes, taking the over might not be a bad idea.
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Why Trust New York Post Betting
Mike Turay is a sports journalist and editor who closely follows the NBA, NFL, college sports and UFC. He has demonstrated expertise in both NBA and NFL player prop bets for nearly three years. Mike is also highly knowledgeable about the sportsbook offer landscape, frequently trying and reviewing the latest apps and sites.
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