The NBA is off to a rough start for the 2025-26 season when it comes to referees and calls on the court. The Oklahoma City Thunder took down the Houston Rockets in double overtime on opening night. The game was certainly entertaining for fans and kicks off the season on an exciting note.
However, fans are convinced the league impacted the outcome.
The NBA has been accused of rigging the Thunder – Rockets game after a video leak was made public.
Chris Rosvoglou of The Spun reported the following:
All it took was one game this season for the NBA to be accused of rigging its product.
During Tuesday night’s season opener between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder, the basketball refs missed a call that would’ve most likely ended the game in the initial overtime session.
With 1.3 seconds left in overtime and the score tied 115-115, Rockets forward Kevin Durant pulled down a rebound and tried to call timeout. However, his team didn’t have any timeouts remaining. A technical foul should’ve been assessed to Houston.
After all, the rulebook for the NBA states the following: “Requests for a timeout in excess of those available to the team at that point in the game (as set forth in subsection (a)) shall be granted and a technical foul shall be Following the timeout, the ball will be awarded to the opposing team and play shall resume with a throw-in nearest the spot where play was interrupted.”
The refs, however, missed Durant’s timeout gesture and allowed the clock to run out. As a result, the Rockets and Thunder went into double overtime.
Several players on the Thunder brought this missed call to the officiating crew’s attention, but that didn’t change the call on the floor.
Unsurprisingly, fans had a huge issue with this blown call. They’re convinced the NBA wanted this game to go into double overtime.
“NBA so rigged for the rockets to win. Watch them win in double OT now. It didn’t even start when i posted this. Rockets Thunder rigged like all sports,” one fan said.
“NBA is rigged,” a second fan wrote on X. “KD clear as day begging for a timeout the Rockets don’t have and refs ignore it. Vegas ain’t slick.”
“The first NBA game of the season going multiple overtimes seems pretty rigged man,” a third person commented.
“NBA rigged confirmed, KD obviously called a timeout with time left but they’re not gonna do anything about it or review,” another fan declared.
KD tried to pull a Chris Webber
Double OTpic.twitter.com/8WdfUWTkBi
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) October 22, 2025
Despite this missed call going against the Thunder, they managed to take care of business in double overtime.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge for the Thunder with 35 points. Chet Holmgren also stepped up with 28 points.
Hopefully, the NBA’s officiating is much better moving forward. The last thing the league needs is a controversial finish every day.
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