When: Wednesday, 07 October 2015 at 8:00 PM EST
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
They say a long journey always begins with one step. For the Oklahoma City Thunder, their first step to redemption begins where last season ended, in Minnesota. For a team with championship aspirations, this game signifies the beginning of a new season. A season, the Thunder hope will be a marathon, and not a sprint. If you listened to any of the players' interview during training camp media day, the themes that were consistently brought up were the players' positive feelings towards new head coach Billy Donovan and their anticipation on getting back on the court as a completely healthy unit.
These Northwest division rivals will face off four times this season. The Thunder swept the season series last year, winning by an average of 16.5 points.
The Opponent
The Minnesota Timberwolves come into this season in year two of a total rebuild after the Kevin Love era. They got the number one pick in the draft this offseason and selected Kentucky big man Karl-Anthony Towns. They'll be teaming him up with last season's Rookie of the Year, Andrew Wiggins, and second year guard Zach LaVine. Veteran point guard Ricky Rubio will be directing the offense and is coming off a season in which he averaged 10.3 points and 8.8 assists per game. He will not be playing in tonight's game due to a sore quad. Kevin Garnett is locked into the power forward position and will provide veteran leadership for the team's young stars. Off the bench, Minnesota will feature more young talent such as Adreian Payne, Tyus Jones, and Gorgui Dieng, but will also mix in a veteran or two (Kevin Martin and Andre Miller).
Probable Starting Line-Ups
Minnesota Timberwolves
- PG - Tyus Jones
- SG - Zach Lavine
- SF - Andrew Wiggins
- PF - Kevin Garnett
- C - Karl-Anthony Towns
Oklahoma City Thunder
- PG - Russell Westbrook
- SG - Andre Roberson
- SF - Kevin Durant
- PF - Serge Ibaka
- C - Enes Kanter
Three Things to Watch Out For
- Welcome back Kevin Durant - This will be Durant's first real in-game action in nearly eight months. Donovan has already said that he would like to see Durant, Westbrook, and Ibaka each play about 18 minutes tonight. If Durant plays anything like he did in the Blue/White scrimmage the Thunder held a couple days ago, the fans in Minnesota are in for a treat.
- Young talent - This will be the first professional game for several rookies on both teams. For the Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns and Tyus Jones will provide into what Minnesota's future may hold. For the Thunder, Cameron Payne and Josh Huestis will show if they can become contributors for this loaded squad.
- Russell Westbrook's storied destruction of rookie point guards - Welcome to the league Tyus Jones. Enjoy your first start.