OKC Thunder fully healthy for a massive clash in Minnesota

The Oklahoma City Thunder will finish up their four-game road trip with a tilt against the Minnesota Timberwolves. After dropping the first two games of this road trip, the Thunder were able to cool off the red-hot Utah Jazz on Thursday behind a career night from Cason Wallace.

Just before tip-off on Thursday, the Oklahoma City Thunder announced starting guard Lu Dort was out with an illness. Dort, the defensive ace of the team, was missed on the perimeter, but Wallace filled in admirably.

OKC Thunder are fully healthy against the Minnesota Timberwolves as Lu Dort is back in the lineup.

Getting Lu Dort back in this contest is huge for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who will be tasked with slowing down Anthony Edwards.

The Oklahoma City Thunder project to go back to their more traditional starting lineup under bench boss Mark Daigneault featuring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren.

The only player remaining on the OKC Thunder injury report is forward Ousmane Dieng, who has been sent back down to the NBA G League on assignment with the OKC Blue as part of his developmental process.

Minnesota is fully healthy, with the Timberwolves only missing Leonard Miller (G League), Josh Minott (G League), and Jaylen Clark (Achilles) for this tilt against Oklahoma City.

This game represents the top two teams in the NBA's Western Conference dueling for the third time this season, the second time in Minnesota. The first time this match was played up north, the Timberwolves stalled the Thunder's offense in the second half and won by three.

With the Timberwolves big man duo down low, it will be interesting to see how Oklahoma City combats their size as this chess match continues.

Minnesota's zone defense completely took Oklahoma City out of the game in the two sides' first meeting, and the Thunder will have to prove again they can beat it tonight as they did when these two squads met in Bricktown.

Following this game in Minnesota, the Thunder will dart home for a quick one-game home stand against the Portland Trailblazers before hitting the road again.

For complete game coverage, recaps, grades, and takeaways, be sure to check back to Thunderous Intentions after each contest and daily for more content.