Thunder's Alex Abrines: Expected to be available Wednesday

Abrines (hip) is expected to receive clearance for Wednesday's season opener against the 76ers, The Oklahoman's Erik Horne reports. "Hopefully everything goes well [Wednesday] at shootaround," coach Billy Donovan said. "[Abrines] did everything [Tuesday]. We didn't have a lot of contact, but he wasn't held out of anything. He's kinda back in and we'll see how he feels after what he did [Tuesday]. I think things are progressing in the right way and he should be back playing."

Analysis:

Coach Billy Donovan stopped short of officially ruling Abrines in for Wednesday night, but more or less suggested the rookie would be available off the bench. Abrines, who missed the Oct. 19 preseason finale against the Nuggets with a right hip contusion, had been held out of contact drills until Tuesday, and seemed to feel fine coming out of the session. He finished the preseason with an average 8.2 points in 19.7 minutes per game.