Referees save Kevin Durant from Opening Night embarrassment
The veteran superstar was returning to face the Oklahoma City Thunder and he made a bizarre mistake that could have been decisive.
Opening Night of the 2025/26 NBA season got off to a thrilling start with a 125-124 victory for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Reigning champions Oklahoma began the evening with the flag raising and championship ring ceremony, before taking on a Houston Rockets team that boasted a familiar face. Kevin Durant spent the first decade of his NBA career with the Thunder and he returned to Oklahoma on Tuesday with the Rockets.
Durant put up 23 points on his competitive debut for the Rockets but his evening was nearly overshadowed by a bizarre error that nearly cost his team the game. The game went into overtime and, with the scores tied at the end of the first extra period, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed a shot to win the game for the Thunder.
But just before the buzzer went to bring a pulsating overtime period to a close, Durant appeared to call a timeout after gathering the rebound from Gilgeous-Alexander’s missed shot. But Houston had no timeouts left and the Rockets should have been called for a technical foul, handing the Thunder the chance of a game-winning free throw.
However the officials appeared to miss Durant’s call and allowed the period to end. The furious staff and players of the Thunder remonstrated with officials, attempting to call attention to the error. However the referees were not to be swayed and they allowed the game to go into a second period of overtime.
“None of the three game officials saw Kevin signal that timeout,” crew chief Zach Zarba later explained. “That’s why it wasn’t granted before the expiration of time.”
Speaking after the game Gilgeous-Alexander, was understanding of the officiating error: “Kevin definitely called timeout about three times verbally and physically with his hands... I think the refs just missed it. That’s life. You make mistakes in life.”
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