The Rockets top five starters set a 55-year record: 21 turnovers, which reflected the shortcomings of the point guard. Amen was so hard that he got cramps.

On October 22, when the Rockets' core point guard VanVleet was seriously injured, they did not immediately conduct trade signings, but instead tried to tap internal potential. The Rockets have compiled a "top five" lineup, with an average starting height of over 2.08 meters, setting a 55-year record for the opening game. However, after double overtime, the Rockets still lost 124-125 to the Thunder and suffered a 12-point reversal. The Rockets missed key free throws and Shen Jing missed a buzzer-beater. In addition, Durant's fatal foul was the reason for the loss. The team made 10 more mistakes 21-11, which also reflected the fatal shortcoming of the lack of a pure point guard. Amen also struggled until he cramped and was substituted.

Since VanVleet is basically out of commission for the new season and has not made a trade to introduce a suitable point guard, the Rockets are now solving the point guard problem more through internal "potential tapping". Uduka has already conducted experiments in the preseason, and now continues to field the "starting five" lineup in the opening game, namely Amen (2.01 meters), Durant (2.11 meters), Jabari Smith (2.11 meters), Shen Jing (2.11 meters) and Adams (2.11 meters). The average height of 2.08 meters creates the team with the highest average height of the starting lineup in the season opener since the 1970-71 season.

It's just a matchup against the defending champion Thunder. The Rockets lack a core point guard, and Durant joins the team and needs to integrate, so the team is still in the running-in period. The Rockets took advantage of their height advantage inside to gain the upper hand in rebounding. They once had a 12-point lead at the beginning of the second half, but the Thunder continued to counterattack to close the score.

Except for the Rockets' starting center Adams, who is a pure blue-collar player and only scored 4 points and 13 rebounds on 1-of-4 shooting, the other four starting players all scored in double figures. Durant and Amen formed an alternative backcourt. They shouldered the burden of the Rockets' backcourt offense, but the two performed poorly from outside three-pointers. A total of 0 for 11 three-pointers.

The Rockets failed to seize the opportunity at the last moment of the fourth quarter. Durant made one of two key free throws, and Shen Jing missed the buzzer-beater. As a result, the Rockets were tied by the Thunder's counterattack and dragged into overtime. Durant almost made the mistake of calling a timeout in the first overtime. In the second overtime, Durant committed 6 fatal fouls. As a result, the Rockets were defeated by the Thunder 124-125 in a reversal.

Although the Rockets made 27 of 31 free throws in this campaign and only missed 4 free throws, Durant, Shen Jing, Okogie and Shepard all missed key free throws, especially Durant and Shen Jing, as core players, missed key free throws.

As for the Rockets, they committed as many as 21 turnovers in the game, 10 more than the Thunder. Durant, Amen and Shen Jing all committed 4 turnovers, Adams and Ethan both committed 3 turnovers, Sheppard made 2 turnovers and Capela made 1 turnover. The Rockets lack a pure point guard who can control the overall situation, which has become an important factor in their loss. Next, how Uduka solves the point guard crisis is extremely critical.