Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

NBA Announces Historic First on Tuesday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Oct 22, 2025 8:01 AM ET

Thunder beat Rockets 125-124 in overtime on NBA opening night.
Alperen Sengun made NBA history: first with 35+ PTS, 10 REB, 5 AST, 5 3PM in opener.
Houston looks for first win Friday against Detroit after Sengun’s career-best performance.

The NBA opened the 2025-26 season with a matchup between the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. It was ring night for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co., who marked the special occasion with a hard-fought overtime win against Houston, 125-124.

While most of the attention was on Kevin Durant and his Rockets debut, it was All-Star center Alperen Sengun who stole the show with his incredible performance on opening night. The 23-year-old dropped a career-high 39 points on 12-of-24 shooting and 10-of-11 from the charity stripe, to go along with 11 rebounds, seven assists, two steals, a block and a career-high five triples in 49 minutes of action.

Houston Rockets center Alperen Şengün dribbles the ball down the court against the Oklahoma City Thunder.Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Sengun is now in his fifth season with the Rockets. He was selected as the 16th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and has since been working his way up to becoming one of the top big men in the game.

Last season, the Turkish national was named in the All-Star squad for the first time in his career behind averages of 19.1 points on 49.6% shooting, 10.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.1 steals. Sengun was pivotal in Houston finishing with a 52-30 record in the regular season for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

Sengun picked up right where he left off last season with a big-time performance in the first game of the new campaign. It turned out to be a historic outing for the 6-foot-11 center, with the NBA taking to social media to announce Sengun’s incredible feat.

“Alpi left it all on the floor vs. OKC ‼️,” the league posted on X. “The 1st player in NBA history with at least 35 PTS, 10 REB, 5 AST, and 5 3PM in a season opener!”

Alpi left it all on the floor vs. OKC ‼️

39 PTS (29 in 2H/OTs)
11 REB
7 AST
2 STL
1 BLK
5 3PM (career-high)

The 1st player in NBA history with at least 35 PTS, 10 REB, 5 AST, and 5 3PM in a season opener! pic.twitter.com/x8wYyWuK84
— NBA (@NBA) October 22, 2025

If Tuesday’s performance is any indication of what to expect from Sengun this year, then there is going to be little doubt that it’s going to be a big season for the Rockets star.

Unfortunately for Houston, not even Sengun’s historic game was enough to beat the Thunder. The Rockets will now look to secure their first win of the season when they return to action on Friday. They will host the Detroit Pistons at Toyota Center in Houston, with tipoff scheduled at 8:00 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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