The Oklahoma City Thunder remain shorthanded heading into Thursday’s matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis.
But the Thunder will get a significant piece back for the matchup with the return of Isaiah Hartenstein.
Hartenstein is not listed on the injury report ahead of the rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals.
The 7-footer has been sidelined since Dec. 28 with a calf strain.
Hartenstein’s return figures to be particularly helpful for Minneapolis native Chet Holmgren, the other 7-footer in Oklahoma City’s lineup.
Holmgren has three consecutive double-doubles and is coming off a five-block performance in Tuesday’s nine-point win over New Orleans. He is making a run at what would be his first All-Star appearance.
He’s averaging 17.9 points and 8.7 rebounds, is shooting 57.1% and is third in the NBA in 2.0 blocks per game.
“I think he’s an All-Star for sure. Great player. Elite player on both sides of the ball,” teammate Jaylin Williams said. “Best rim protector in the league. He’s one of the few guys that’s 7-foot that can do what he does on offense.”
Holmgren’s return comes at a turbulent time for his hometown.
After Tuesday’s win, Holmgren shared that Saturday’s shooting of Alex Pretti had occurred just three blocks from his parents’ home.
“I don’t want to get into the opinions and politics of everything, but I definitely just want to send wishes to everybody up there who’s been affected,” Holmgren said. “… I definitely think we’re too advanced as a species, just plain and simple, for things like that to be happening. No matter what your opinions are or what your beliefs are, we should be able to agree that nobody needs to be dying on the street.”
Oklahoma City remains without Jalen Williams (hamstring strain), Alex Caruso (thigh strain), Ajay Mitchell (abdominal strain).
Cason Wallace, who missed Tuesday’s win over New Orleans, is questionable with left hip soreness.
The Timberwolves have won back-to-back games, including Wednesday’s 118-105 win in Dallas. Minnesota had lost five consecutive games before its current streak.
Although the Timberwolves have been back on the winning side recently, head coach Chris Finch wants to see significant improvement in one area in particular.
“We’re too soft,” Finch said. “We’re letting them come at us, and then they’re playing off our body and we’re trying to react. We got bad angles there, or reaching or that kind of stuff. I think we gotta get into the ball a little bit more and win the battle up the floor.”
That figures to be at a premium against a Thunder team that has not only a pair of 7-footers, but also reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, one of the best players in the league at getting to the rim.
Thursday’s game will be the first matchup between the teams since Dec. 19 in Minneapolis, a 112-107 win in which Finch was ejected midway through the first quarter.
It was a Hartenstein play that helped lead to the ejection when Julius Randle went up strong under the basket against the big man.
Finch felt like a foul call was warranted but none came.
Afterward, Finch was fined $35,000 for “directing inappropriate language toward game officials and failing to leave the court in a timely manner following his ejection.”
