The 2025-26 NBA season gets rolling on Tuesday evening with a doubleheader on NBC, the first time the network has televised a professional basketball game since 2003. Game one fires up at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, as the defending champion Thunder host the revamped Houston Rockets. The game tips at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Let's look at the Rockets vs. Thunder prediction and NBA picks for Opening Night
Rockets vs. Thunder Prediction, NBA Picks for Opening Night
These were the top two playoff seeds in the West last season, although the Rockets were bounced in the first round by the Warriors.
Houston hit the reset button in the offseason, acquiring veteran F Kevin Durant from Phoenix in a seven-team trade. Durant played nine years with the Seattle/OKC franchise (2007-16), but could never bring home a title.
G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander helped the Thunder hoist the NBA championship trophy this past June for the franchise's first title since they relocated from Seattle to Oklahoma City in 2008.
Houston Rockets
- The Rockets finished as the second seed last season in spite of ranking 23rd in the NBA in EFG% at 52.3%.
- The Thunder were the top defensive team in EFG%, holding opponents to 51.3%.
- Houston limited opponents to 109.8 points per game last season, ranking sixth in the league.
- HC Ima Udoke's crew sat 22nd in the league in percentage of points from 3-point range at 33.2%.
- G Jalen Green (40.7%) and F Dillon Brooks (53%) went off to Phoenix in the megadeal, leading to a rebooted Rockets starting five, tentatively featuring Durant, G Amen Thompson, F Jabari Smith Jr., C/F Alperen Sengun, and C Steven Adams
- KD finished with 29.1% of his points from long distance.
Oklahoma City Thunder
- The Thunder put together excellent defensive numbers during their championship run, limiting opponents to the lowest FG% and 3-point FG% while posting a +12.9 point differential, all of which lead the NBA.
- OKC compiled a historic net rating in a season at +12.7, eclipsing Boston’s previous high of +11.7 during its 2023-24 title chase.
- SGA and F Jaylin Williams were the top two players in the NBA in net rating (40 games minimum).
Rockets vs. Thunder Picks & NBA DFS
Rockets F Kevin Durant vs. Thunder Projection: 25.5 Points
- Although Durant was limited to 62 games last season in Phoenix, he averaged 26.6 points per outing, his lowest scoring average since 2018-19 when he put up 26.0 ppg for the Warriors.
- KD didn’t face the Thunder last season, but racked up 24.6 ppg in three matchups against OKC during the 2023-24 campaign.
- Durant’s net rating in road games plummeted from +5.2 in 2023-24 to -4.1 last season.
- In four of his final five away games last season with the Suns, he finished with 23 or fewer points.
Thunder G Shai-Gilgeous Alexander vs. Rockets Projection: 43.5 Points+Rebounds+Assists
- Gilgeous-Alexander captured his first career MVP last season, averaging 32.7 ppg, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per outing.
- In five games against the Rockets last season, SGA posted a PRA average of 45.2.
- The Rockets allowed opponents to shoot 51.8% on EFG last season, but that number jumped to 53.9% on the road.
- SGA shot 8-for-17 from 3-point range at home in three games against Houston. The Rockets yielded 36.2% shooting from downtown on the road last season.
- In four games last season, SGA poured in at least 50 points. In a 137-128 home victory over the Rockets on March 3, the Thunder star lit up the Rockets for 51 points in 36 minutes.
Rockets C Alperen Sengun vs. Thunder Projection: 9 Rebounds
- Sengun averaged a career-high 10.3 rebounds per game last season, ninth in the NBA.
- In two of four matchups with the Thunder last season, Sengun grabbed 11 and 14 rebounds. In the final meeting on April 4, he was limited to a season-low 2 boards.
- Oklahoma City ranked 20th in the NBA in allowing opponents to snatch 44.9 rebounds a game.
- The Rockets led the league in rebounding, pulling down 48.5 boards a game. Houston also sat atop the NBA in offensive rebounding percentage at 36.3%, as Sengun compiled 4.3 offensive boards per game.
Make Picks on NBA on PrizePicks
The Thunder hoist their championship banner on Tuesday night against the Rockets to kick off the 2025-26 NBA season, and there’s never been a better time to add to the excitement of every NBA moment than with PrizePicks.
There is a wide variety of player stat projections on the NBA board, so you can build your Lineup however you’d like — with no salary or positional restrictions. Just pick at least two player stat projections to build your Lineup on PrizePicks.
Check out the Playbook throughout the remainder of the NBA season for more analysis for your PrizePicks and NBA DFS Lineups.
