Thunder Become First NBA Team To Start Season With 2 Straight Double-Overtime Wins

The Oklahoma City Thunder opened their 2025-26 season with Tuesday night’s 125-124 double-overtime win over the Houston Rockets and then defeated the Indiana Pacers in a 141-135 double-overtime thriller on Thursday night, becoming the first NBA team to start a campaign with consecutive double-overtime victories.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Scored Career-High 55 Points

Oklahoma City defeated the Pacers in a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals, which Oklahoma City won in an exhausting seven-game series in June.

The Thunder also set the record for the most double-digit wins in NBA history last season, winning 54 games by double digits, the most ever.

“I’m tired, but it’s expected,” said reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored a career-high 55 points in one of his least efficient outings from beyond the arc.

SGA’s 90 PTS are the 5th most through the first 2 games of a season in NBA History 😱

Wilt Chamberlain – 106 PTS in 1962-63
Wilt Chamberlain – 105 PTS in 1961-62
Anthony Davis – 95 PTS in 2016-17
Michael Jordan – 91 PTS in 1986-87
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – 90 PTS in 2025-26 https://t.co/WPvBzdlI2z pic.twitter.com/gO50pIT7Qj

— NBA History (@NBAHistory) October 24, 2025

“It’s a good way to break the ice on the season, shake the rust off, kind of bust the lungs up, get my cardio back.”

Gilgeous-Alexander reached 50 for the fifth time, tying Russell Westbrook for the most by a Thunder player. It came after he put up 35 points against the Rockets.

His 91 points are also the fifth most through the first two games of a season in NBA history.

Gilgeous-Alexander Has Struggled From 3-Point Range

According to Basketball Reference, Gilgeous-Alexander finished 15-of-31 (48.4%) shooting from the floor, just 2-for-7 (28.6%) from 3-point territory, and 88.5% at the free throw line.

His career-high scoring night came a couple of days after he posted a shooting line of 46.2/11.1/71.4 against Houston.

Despite missing a number of long-range shots in both games, Gilgeous-Alexander led his team to back-to-back victories while playing 45 minutes Thursday after playing 47 minutes in Tuesday night’s opener.

“Two things. Being in the moment and understanding that we’re down five, it’s three minutes left, there’s a lot of time left,” the three-time All-Star said. “Then also understanding the beginning of the season is just as important as the end of the season.

“The difference in home-court advantage in the playoffs could be one game and one win. We know firsthand home court in the playoffs is very helpful, especially when you go seven games. So we don’t ever want to take an opportunity for granted.”

Reserve Guard Ajay Mitchell Had Career Night For Thunder

Entering Thursday’s rematch, the Thunder were missing Jalen Williams (right wrist surgery), Cason Wallace (left knee sprain), Isaiah Joe (left knee contusion), and Alex Caruso (concussion protocol).

However, Gilgeous-Alexander received help from the offensive side from second-year guard Ajay Mitchell, who finished with a career-best 26 points off the bench.

“Everybody has a lot of trust in him and his talent,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said about Mitchell. “But I think the steadiness in these two environments … in both games he didn’t really blink.

“So we knew the talent and impact, but sometimes it takes guys a little bit, they seem a little wide-eyed. That was not the case for him.”

Aaron Wiggins finished with 23 points and nine rebounds, while Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed 14 rebounds. Oklahoma City led by as many as just seven points against Indiana.

The Thunder visit the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.