Timberwolves-Oklahoma City game preview: Thunder struggling with rebuilding plan

Timberwolves update: Back at practice Tuesday after missing the final preseason game because of a shoulder injury, backup point guard Jordan McLaughlin should be good to go. The Wolves open the season with two of their first three games against OKC, a team that finished last season with a 24-58 record, fourth worst in the NBA. The Wolves went 4-0 vs. the Thunder last season, winning those four games by an average of 26.3 points. Minnesota is 24-9 as a franchise in home openers.

Thunder update: The rebuild continues under coach Mark Daigneault. Last season the Thunder missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season. This is a team loaded with young talent, with last season's leading scorer PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (24.5 ppg, 5.9 apg), F Lu Dort (17.2 ppg) and G Josh Giddey back along with a rookie class that included three lottery picks in former Minnehaha Academy star Chet Holmgren (second), Ousmane Dieng (11^th) and Jalen Williams (12^th). But when Holmgren hurt his right foot over the summer and was lost for the season, the Thunder's rebuilding plan likely slowed down. Gilgeous-Alexander (knee) didn't play in the preseason, but he and Dort (concussion) are expected to play Wednesday.