Free throws were a sure win! SGA got off to a good start with 30+12 free throws in the second half. The fierce battle for 47 minutes allowed KD to become the background.

On October 22, in the opening game of the NBA, the Thunder defeated the Rockets 125-124 in a fierce double overtime. In this game, the Thunder core SGA only showed strength in the second half. Holmgren struggled in the first half. SGA scored a total of 30 points in the entire second half + double overtime. In the end, SGA used his best fouls to complete two free throws. The key was the free throw made by Durant's foul (sixth foul).

In just 5 minutes of the opening, Chet Holmgren exploded. 11 of the Thunder's 13 points were scored by him. He scored 5 of 5 + three-pointers, 1 of 1, and 11 points and 1 rebound. Shen Jing's position was not good enough for him, and the top five zone defenses were not moving fast enough. Uduka then asked Xiao Jia to guard Chet, but Chet caused Xiao Jia's (second) foul. In the first quarter, Chet scored 13 points and 1 rebound in 5 of 5 + 3 of 3 three-pointers.

At the beginning of the second quarter, Chet completed another 2+1 against Shen Jing. Chet stepped on the line and made a long-range mid-range shot (the second in the game). He only missed the shot after his eighth shot. The ninth goal was a real three-pointer and missed. In the second quarter, he scored 5 points and 3 rebounds on 2-of-4 shots. Holmgren scored 18 points and 4 rebounds on 7-of-9 shots in 18 minutes in the half to support the team. SGA only had 5 points in the half.

Holmgren obviously declined in the third quarter. He made 0 of 3 in a single quarter, 0 of 2 three-pointers, 0 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 1 foul. Uduka asked Xiao Jia to stick to him. After three quarters, Holmgren still had 18 points.

At the beginning of the last quarter, Harten passed an alley-oop assist to Chet for a dunk to complete 20+. Holmgren made another key throw under the basket. After SGA took the lead in the mid-range shot, Holmgren fouled Xiaojia. Demport challenged but failed. But SGA was still hitting. He completed the tie 2 seconds before the end, and Shen Jing missed the shot.

SGA only showed its strength in the second half. He scored 6 points in the third quarter and 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the final quarter with 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. He only had 5 points in the first half. It was his performance in the final quarter that helped the Thunder drag the Thunder into overtime. Entering overtime, Chet hit a three-pointer, and then Alexander hit another three-pointer. The Thunder led to 6 points. SGA continued to make mid-range shots. Chet hit another three-pointer. Shen Jing's pass was intercepted by SGA, and SGA failed to hit the buzzer beater.

In the second overtime, SGA was obviously tired. They failed to hit in two sports battles and only hit 2 of the 4 free throws. Wallace hit the go-ahead three-pointer, but Durant responded with 2+1.

Alexander scored 33 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks in 47 minutes of the game. He made 12 of 26 shots, 1 of 9 three-pointers, and 10 of 14 free throws. In the end, SGA relied on free throws to win, making 5 of 8 free throws in the second overtime.