The reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder opened the new season in dramatic fashion, celebrating their title with a ring ceremony, a championship banner unveiling, and a double-overtime win over former Thunder star Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning league and Finals MVP, delivered yet another clutch performance. After scoring just five points in the first half, he exploded for 30 more after halftime, including 24 in the fourth quarter and overtime, finishing with 35 points. His two free throws with 2.3 seconds left in the second overtime sealed a 125-124 win for Oklahoma City.

The Thunder rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit to secure the win, marking just the sixth double-overtime game in NBA opening-night history and the first since 2005. Gilgeous-Alexander, who became only the third player in league history to win MVP, Finals MVP, and a scoring title in the same season, once again proved why he’s the face of the franchise.

In regulation, Gilgeous-Alexander tied the game at 104 with 2.1 seconds remaining, before Alperen Sengun missed a fadeaway at the buzzer to send it into overtime. With the score tied at 115 late in the first overtime, Durant grabbed a rebound and tried to call a timeout the Rockets didn’t have, but officials missed the call, sending the game to a second overtime.

Chet Holmgren added 28 points and 7 rebounds for the defending champs, while rookie guard Ajay Mitchell contributed 16 points off the bench, including a four-point play just before halftime.

For Houston, Sengun was dominant, scoring a career-high 39 points with 11 rebounds and 7 assists while hitting five three-pointers. Durant, playing his first game with the Rockets after an offseason trade, added 23 points and nine rebounds in his return to Oklahoma City, where fans still haven’t forgiven him for leaving in 2016 to join the Golden State Warriors.