Si:am | Kevin Durant Takes The Blame For Rockets’ Loss In His Debut

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. Somebody really needs to show Reggie Miller to extremity calling Alperen Şengün “Shane Goon.”

In today’s SI:AM: 
⛈️ Opening nighttime classical successful OKC
🦅 Why nan Eagles won’t waste and acquisition A.J. Brown
⚾ World Series position-by-position breakdown

If you’re reference this connected SI.com, click present to subscribe and person SI:AM straight successful your inbox each morning.

If Tuesday night’s double overtime marathon betwixt nan Rockets and Thunder was a motion of things to come, past we’re successful for a hellhole of a conflict successful nan NBA’s Western Conference this season. 

Kevin Durant was coagulated successful his Houston debut (23 points connected 9-for-16 shooting pinch 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 turnovers), but aft nan crippled he took nan blasted for his team’s 125–124 loss. 

“I missed nan free throws, and I fouled personification astatine nan end,” Durant said. “I deliberation those 2 plays are nan logic we lost.”

Durant was referring to nan free propulsion he missed astatine nan extremity of regularisation and nan foul he committed connected Shai Gilgeous-Alexander successful nan last seconds of nan 2nd OT. 

With 9.5 seconds near successful nan 4th quarter, Durant stepped to nan statement pinch a chance to widen nan Rockets’ lead to 3 points pinch a brace of free throws. He missed nan first but made nan second, giving Houston a 104–102 lead. Gilgeous-Alexander proceeded to thrust nan magnitude of nan level and deed a pull-up jumper from 16 feet to necktie nan crippled pinch 2 seconds left. 

Then, adjacent nan extremity of nan 2nd overtime period, SGA had nan shot successful his hands again pinch OKC trailing 124–123. He was guarded by Durant and utilized a pump clone to bait KD into fouling him. Gilgeous-Alexander proceeded to sound down some free throws pinch 2.3 seconds near to springiness his squad nan lead. Durant fouled retired connected nan play, truthful he had to watch from nan chair while Jabari Smith Jr.’s turnaround jumper astatine nan buzzer went begging. 

Those 2 plays mightiness person been costly for nan Rockets, but Durant besides sewage distant pinch a monolithic correction astatine nan extremity of nan first overtime that went unnoticed by nan officials. 

After Tari Eason blocked SGA’s game-winning attempt, Durant collected nan rebound pinch astir 2 seconds connected nan clock. He signaled for a timeout but nary was granted. That was fortunate for KD, because nan Rockets didn’t really person a timeout. He should person been called for a method foul and nan Thunder should person had a chance to spell to nan free propulsion statement to triumph nan game. Instead, it went to a 2nd overtime. 

“None of nan 3 crippled officials saw Kevin awesome that timeout,” crew main Zach Zarba told a excavation reporter. “That’s why it wasn’t granted earlier nan expiration of time.”

Gilgeous-Alexander said Durant “definitely called timeout astir 3 times verbally and physically pinch his hands” but that he thought nan refs made an honorable mistake. 

While Durant’s debut pinch nan Rockets was highly anticipated, it was 1 of his teammates who emerged arsenic nan biggest communicative of nan night. Alperen Şengün erupted for 39 points connected 12-for-24 shooting pinch 11 rebounds and 7 assists. The 23-year-old halfway is coming disconnected his first All-Star action past play and was Houston’s 2nd starring scorer. He’ll request to beryllium a captious portion of nan Rockets’ discourtesy again arsenic nan squad adapts to life pinch Durant—and without Fred VanVleet. (VanVleet tore his correct ACL during an offseason workout and is expected to miss nan full season.) 

With VanVleet sidelined, nan Rockets played overmuch of Tuesday’s crippled without a existent constituent guard. Four of nan 5 players successful nan starting lineup were 6'11". The other, Amen Thompson, is 6'7". All that magnitude paid dividends for nan Rockets connected nan boards arsenic they out-rebounded nan Thunder 52–38. But Houston besides committed a whopping 25 turnovers to OKC’s 12. Pushing nan defending champs to nan limit successful nan opening crippled of nan play is simply a promising motion for really nan play mightiness spell for Durant and nan team, but location are still plentifulness of things for nan Rockets to cleanable up if they want to situation OKC successful nan West. 

The champion of Sports Illustrated

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

… plays from opening nighttime successful nan NBA: 
5. Kevin Durant booing nan fans successful OKC who booed him. 
4. Stephen Curry’s 36-foot bomb to seal nan Warriors’ triumph complete nan Lakers.
3. Alperen Şengün’s putback dunk precocious successful nan first overtime to necktie nan game.
2. An audacious step-back 3 by Luka Dončić.
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s game-tying shot successful nan last seconds of regulation.