Kevin Durant saved from embarrassing Chris Webber moment by referees in Rockets’ season-opening loss to Thunder
What a return to basketball we saw on NBA opening night. The 2025-26 season began with the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the Houston Rockets and their former star, Kevin Durant, as they raised their banner and received their June championship rings. The NBA was hoping that bringing Durant back to Oklahoma City would bring drama, and that absolutely did, as the Thunder cruised to a 125-124 victory in double overtime.
The match was one of the most exciting you’ll probably see all season. The Rockets led most of the game, but the Thunder came back into the game in the fourth quarter and sent the game to overtime. In the first extra period, it was Oklahoma City who took a big lead, but Houston managed to equalize before one last Thunder possession. A failure by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the final seconds seemed to end this first overtime period in a new tie.
Except before the clock officially expired, it looked like Durant called a timeout after grabbing the rebound. The problem ? Houston had no timeouts. Therefore, the Rockets should have been awarded a technical foul and Oklahoma City theoretically should have been awarded a potential game-winning free throw. However, the officials apparently did not notice this and the match continued into the second overtime.
“Kevin definitely called a timeout about three times verbally and physically with his hands,” Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters after the game. “I think the referees just missed it. That’s life. You make mistakes in life.”
It’s a technical foul that we see from time to time, and it notably happened to Chris Webber in the 1993 national championship game while he was playing for Michigan. But that’s still a rarity, and it would have been embarrassing for Durant to begin his tenure with the Rockets by potentially missing his debut against his former team on such a mistake.
“None of the three game officials saw Kevin call the timeout,” team manager Zach Zarba said after the game. “That’s why it wasn’t granted before the deadline.”
So Durant was bailed out. The officials did not understand the signal. The game resumed in the second overtime and the Rockets still had a chance to win. Ironically, it was another mistake from Durant that gave the Thunder the game. In the final seconds, with Houston leading by one, Gilgeous-Alexander managed to get Durant off the ground early and fouled as a result. He made both free throws, and that’s what made the difference in the Thunder’s victory.
