Minnesota Timberwolves big man Al Jefferson will play in the opener on Wednesday night against New Jersey despite battling an Achilles injury in recent weeks. Jefferson said Tuesday that he has practiced pain free for the past two days and will definitely be in the lineup against the Nets. That's good news for the Timberwolves, who will play the first six to eight weeks of the season without forward Kevin Love after he had surgery on a broken hand last week.